Tuesday, October 6, 2015

THE BOOK OF DANIEL (9)

The Interpretations of Daniel (2)


Daniel 7: 1 – 28

King James Version (KJV)


Four Beasts

7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.

2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.

3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.

6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.


"Ancient of Days"

9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.

12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

"Interpretation of the Four Beasts"

15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.

16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.

17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.

18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;

20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.

21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.


Interpretation of the Fourth Beast

23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

28 Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.

 

KINGDOM DYNAMICS


Old Testament: Possessing the Kingdom. PROPHECY AND THE KINGDOM. Daniel’s prophecy in Ch. 7 not only spans the spiritual struggle coving the ages through Messiah’s First and Second Coming, but it uses two terms important to perceiving the biblical truth of the kingdom of God: "dominion" and "possess" "Dominion" (from Chaldee, shelet, "to govern, prevail dominate") is in the hands of world powers (vv. 6, 12) until the Coming of the Son of Man, at which time it is taken by Him forever (vv. 13, 14).
But an interim struggle is seen between the First and Second Coming of Messiah. During this season, the saints "possess" (Chaldee, chacan, "to hold on or occupy") the kingdom. This communicates a process of long struggle as the redeemed ("saints") "possess" what they have "received" (v. 18). The scenario reads:

1.      After the “judgment was given to the saints" (a forecast of the pivotal impact of Christ’s Cross upon which hinged both man’s redemption as well as his reinstatement to the potential of his rule under God), an extended struggle ensues.

2.      This struggle is described as the "time [which] came that the saints possessed the kingdom."  They do battle against sinister adversaries and experience a mix of victories and apparent defeats (v.25). The prophecy unveils the present age of the kingdom, which is one of ongoing struggle – with victory upon victory for the church. Yet it withholds its conclusive triumph until Christ comes again.

This prophecy also balances the question of divine sovereignty and human responsibility.

1.      God’s sovereignty accomplishes the foundational victory (v.22) and in the Cross achieves the decisive victory allowing the saints new dimensions for advance and conquest.
2.      He entrusts the responsibility for that advance to His own to  "possess the kingdom," entering into conflict with the adversary, at times at the expense of their apparent defeat (v.26).
3.      However, movement toward victory is theirs as they press the "judgment" of the "court" (vv.22, 26) and seize realms controlled by evil. They wrestle the dominion from hellish powers continuing the warfare until the ultimate seating of the Son of Man (vv.14, 27).

Prophetic systems vary as to how and when these words unfold on the calendar of church history, for the passage is subject to different schemes of interpretation, each with different projected chronologies.  But the foundational fact remains that an age long struggle between "the saints" and the power of evil in the world calls each believer to a commitment to steadfast battle, a mixture of victories with setbacks, and a consummate triumph anticipated at Christ’s coming. In the meantime, we "receive" the kingdom and pursue victories for our King, by His power, making intermittent gains  - all of which are based on "the judgment" achieved through the Cross. See Rev. 12: 10, 11.

Ѱ  CLASSICAL INTERPRETATION: Classical interpretation sees the fourth kingdom and  another little horn as representing Greece and Antiochus Epiphanes.

In either case, this little one clearly embodies the antichrist spirit and becomes an archetype of the Antichrist on the Book of Revelation (see vv. 21-27)

        7:1-28 Although details of Daniels’s dream are at times difficult to interpret, the main emphasis is clear; history will continue to be filled with turmoil. Yet God, who is the Lord of international politics, will still be involved, until He makes a final intervention. Furthermore, His faithful shall continue to survive during, and at times be delivered from, pressure.




Janet Thomas
Founder/President/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts
www.biblestoriestheatre.org






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