CHAPTER SEVENSECTION ONE - THE DREAM AND VISIONS OF

1、THIS MATERIAL HAS NOT BEEN EDITED FORSCRIPTURAL ACCURACY, SPELLING, OR GRAMMARD A N I E LCHAPTER SEVENSECTION ONE7:1-8:27 THE DREAM AND VISIONS OF DANIEL. THE END OF GENTILE DOMINATION.A-1 - 7:1-28. The Vision of the Four Beasts. (Third year).A-2 8:1-27. The Vision of the Two Beasts. (Third year).B-

2、1 C-1 7:1-8 The Four Beasts D-1 7:9-14 The judgment of the Son of Man.The Vision E-1 7:15, 16 Daniels perturbation and inquiryB-2 C-2 7:17 The Four Beasts D-2 7:18 The judgment of the Son of Man.Interpretation E-2 7:19-22 Daniels inquiryB-3 C-3 7:23-25 The four Beasts D-3 7:26, 27 The judgment of th

3、e Son of Man. E-3 7:28 Daniels perturbation.Historical backgroundThe first year of Belshazzar was (429 BC). Daniel being eighty-four years old. Three years before the events of (Chapter 6 Cp. 5:30, 31). The vision (chapter 7) is still in the Chaldee (the Gentile language), because it is still the co

4、ntinuation of (2:44), and shows what will take place in “the days of those kings” before the stone the Kingdom of Yeshua (Jesus) Messiah (Christ) strikes the image (see Revelation 20:4 they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years). This brings over the end of the Gentile domination through th

5、e reign of the beast in Revelation 13 over the nation of Israel. The dream of Nebuchadnezzar (chapter 2) was interpreted to him by Daniel; while the dream or vision of Daniel was interpreted by the Angel.In the former we find the beginning and duration of Gentile dominion over Israel; in the latter

6、we have the end of that domination. I realize that as of today, the nation of Israel is an independent country and not under any Gentile domination, but in the time of the power of the Beast (and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. Revelation 13:7) even over the nation o

7、f Israel who will be under the control of Satan the beast, false prophet, and dragon the trinity of Hell in the form of the beast. In the second vision (chapter 8) we find that this was given two years later that the first vision (cp. 7:1 with 8:1), and is subsequent to the first giving further deta

8、ils concerning “the latter time of their dominion” (i.e. that of the four beasts of the first vision found in Chapter 7). Further details are also given in (Chapters 9, 11, and 12). The Companion BibleVision of the Four Beasts7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream an

9、d visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts. 2 Daniel spoke, saying, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. 4 The f

10、irst was like a lion, and had eagles wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a mans heart was given to it. 5 And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs

11、 in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: Arise, devour much flesh! 6 After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. Daniel 7:1-87 After this I saw in the night visi

12、ons, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I was considering the horns, and there

13、was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words. NKJVNote: for my understanding of this chapter, please see www.lakesideministries.c

14、om under Topical Studies, Prophecy, and Daniels vision of the four beasts. Paul the LearnerVision of the Four Beasts7:1. chronology. This vision takes place before the events of both chapters five and six. It is difficult to tell what the first year of Belshazzar was. It should not be equated with t

15、he first year of his father, Nabonidus (556), but more likely with the beginning of his co-regency when Nabonidus set up his royal residency in Teima (552). It is unknown, however, whether Belshazzar was immediately made coregent. The Nabonidus Chronicle first notes Belshazzars co-regency in Nabonid

16、uss seventh year (549), but the Chronicles for years four five and half of six are not available. It is in Naboniduss sixth year, 550 that the empire succession takes shape as Cyrus defeats the Medes and the Medo-Persian Empire is formed. As a tangential note of interest, a dream text of Nabonidus i

17、s preserved from his first year, in which it was foretold that Cyrus would conquer the Medes. (IVP Bible Background Commentary)7:2. winds of heaven on the great sea. This description indicates a typical mythical scene in which the churning of the cosmic ocean disturbs the creatures (often sea monste

18、rs) that represent the forces of chaos and disorder. In Enuma Elish the sky god, Anu, creates the four winds that stir up the deep and its goddess, Tiamat. There, as here, it is a disruptive wind bringing unrest. (IVP)7:3. beasts with odd characteristics. In the Babylonian omen series called Shumma

19、Izbu, with which Daniel would have been well acquainted from his training, various birth abnormalities are recorded along with what sort of event they forecast. Several of the descriptions of the beasts in Daniels visions can also be found in the Shumma Izbu series. Some of the common elements in th

20、e descriptions include the creature being raised up on one side and having multiple heads or multiple horns. Most of the observations of abnormalities were made of domesticated species, a large proportion being sheep and goats. Some of the abnormalities are described by comparison to various wild be

21、asts. There are examples of sheep giving birth to lambs that (in some way) resemble a wolf, a fox, a tiger, a lion, a bear or a leopard. In this chapter, Daniel is not observing these abnormalities in reality but in a dream, thus combining two important omen mechanisms (dreams and odd births). The d

22、ream books often feature ominological information (celestial or extispicy omens) being viewed in dreams and carrying the same significance as if they were viewed in reality. Being familiar with both literatures, Daniel would have been inclined to interpret the dream along the lines suggested in the

23、izbu omens. The omen interpretations often concerned political events such as the prince will take the land of his enemy. Nevertheless, Daniels dream goes well beyond the izbu omens. The descriptions suggest that he does see fearsome chaos beasts rather than simply sheep or goats with odd characteri

24、stics. Additionally, many of the features of Daniels beasts are neither found nor expected in izbu omens, like wings and iron teeth. For this reason it is also important to understand the nature of some of the mythological imagery that pertains to the dream. (IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Tes

25、tament)Daniel 7:37:3. beast imagery. A number of different mythological sources offer similarities to the beast imagery used by Daniel. A seventh-century Akkadian piece called A Vision of the Netherworld includes fifteen divine beings in the form of various hybrid beasts. Following that, Nergal, kin

26、g of the netherworld, is seen seated on his throne, and identifies himself as the son of the king of the gods. There are many significant differences between this vision and Daniels, but the similarities in imagery are helpful background. (IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament)7:3. out of t

27、he sea. In the Bible as well as in the ancient Near East, the sea represents chaos and disorder, as do the sea monsters that live there. The obvious physical struggle between the sea and the land as well as the fierce, seemingly unstoppable energy displayed by the savage sea gave rise to cosmic myth

28、s in the ancient Near East. The Enuma Elish creation epic from Babylon describes how Marduk vanquished Tiamat, goddess of watery chaos, while she was in the form of a dragon. Much of the cycle of stories about Baal in Ugaritic legend involve Baals struggle against his rival Yamm, the god of the sea.

29、 Similarly, the Ugaritic epic has both Anat and Baal claim to have conquered Litan, the seven-headed dragon, and thus gained mastery over the seas. In Ps 104:26 Yahweh is said to play with Leviathan and in Job 41:1-11 God challenges Job to show the same control over Leviathan that God has. The kingd

30、oms represented by these beasts are therefore associated with the forces of chaos that bring disorder to Gods world and need to be overcome. (IVP Bible Background Commentary)General Information 7:1-12:13: Daniels apocalyptic visions This is the second half of the book; see the introduction on the di

31、fference in genre, date, and political situation of Chapters 7-12, and the difference in language between Chapters 7 and 8-12. Jewish Study BibleGeneral Information 7:1-28: Vision of the four beasts Chapter 7 in Aramaic may have been composed before Chapters 8-12. Like Chapter 2 it involves a dream

32、interpretation and a four-kingdom schema, and like Chapters 2-6 it is in Aramaic. The depiction of the end of time in apocalyptic visions is often similar to biblical depictions of the beginning of time, that is, creation. The sea monsters her are paralleled in many stories of creation (Genesis Chap

33、ter 1; Job 26:12-13; Psalms 33:6-7; 74:12-14; Isaiah 27:1). Jewish Study Bible7:1: First year of King Belshazzar, 553 BCE. The author of Chapter 7 like the author of Chapter 5, incorrectly thinks of Belshazzar as king. Jewish Study Bible7:2-3: Four windsfour mighty beasts: The tumult of all four win

34、ds blowing at once and the violence of the sea portend threatening events. The recurrence of the number four evokes the four kingdoms of Chapter 2, and Chapter 7 will develop a four-kingdom schema further. Jewish Study BibleNote: Here earthly governments are viewed represented in the light of Heaven

35、. Their true character is shown by the symbol of wild and ravenous beasts. Uriah SmithA Vision of Four Beasts, the Ancient of Days, and the Son of Man: The Conflict of Christ and Antichrist. 7:1-28Three important changes begin in this chapter. Up to chapter 7 the material is mainly historical. Hence

36、forth it is mainly predictive. Heretofore Daniel has been Gods agent in revelation, interpreting others dreams. Hereafter, an angel interprets Daniels own dreams and visions (Dan 7:16; 8:15-17; 9:20-23; 10:10-14). Heretofore the author has reported in the third person; hereafter he writes in the fir

37、st, giving a much more intimate report of his experiences. A transition from prophecy centered in Gentile nations to Jewish-centered prophecy takes place with the entrance of the holy people (rendered saints vv. 18, 22, 25). The Jews are the center of interest to the books end.Daniel 7:1The same suc

38、cession of kingdoms that was found in chapter 2 appears here-four Gentile empires, then the kingdom of Messiah. The view that chapter 7 describes only events in the Mediterranean area at the close of this present age is ably set forth by 1. G. H. Lang (The Histories and Prophecies of Daniel) in pre-

39、millennial perspective. 2. The view that the four kingdoms are (1) Babylon, (2) Medo-Persia, (3) Greece, and (4) the Greek successors of Alexander, and that the fifth is Messiahs kingdom is defended in reverent but non-millennial perspective by Moses Stuart (Commentary on Daniel) 3. And in reverent

40、amillennial perspective by the Roman Catholic work of C. Lattey (The Book of Daniel). After the usual historical setting (v. 1), there follow details of a series of visions (vv. 2-14, 21, 22), the new method of interpreting dreams and visions (vv. 15, 16), the interpretation (vv. 17-20, 23-27), and

41、a concluding personal statement (v. 28). (The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)Note: the description of the beast in Revelation 13:1, 2 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name

42、of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard Dan. 7:6, and feet were as the feet of a bear Dan. 7:5, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion Dan. 7:4: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.Remember Satan offered to Jesus all of the kingdoms of the wor

43、ld in Matthew 4:8, 9 and also notice that this beast is a composite of those kingdoms in Daniel 7. Paul the LearnerDaniel 7:1Verse 1 The first year of Belshazzar. About fourteen years before the events of chapter 5. It is likely that Babylonian weakness was already beginning to show through Dream an

44、d visions. Not always clearly distinguished. Dreams are experiences in sleep; visions may occur in a waking condition, or, as here, may be successive scenes or stages in a dream. Then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. He recorded it immediately (then or thereupon, or at that time,

45、 as the Aramaic edayin prefixed by b emphatically requires). It was written, contrary to current oral-transmission-of-prophecy theories (see Isa 30:8; cf. Dan 8:1,16; Hab 2:2; Rev 1:19; 14:13; 21:5). It was a summary only, for the sum (Aram. head or substance of the material was recorded. Similar us

46、e of Hebrew rosh appears at Psalms 119:16 (sum), ASV) and 137:6 (chief). (See Stuart, Comm., in loco). (Wycliffe Bible Commentary)Daniel 7:1-3King Nabonidus was monarch over the empire, but he made his son Belshazzar ruler over Babylon; and the first year of his reign was probably 553. This means th

47、at the events described in chapters 7 and 8 preceded those described in chapters 5 and 6, and Daniel was nearly seventy years old at the time these events occurred. Perhaps Daniel arranged the material in his book this way so that the records of his interpretations of the dreams and visions of other

48、s came before the visions that the Lord gave to him (7:1-2; 8:1; 9:20-27; 10:1 ff). Except for Nebuchadnezzars dream of the great image explained in chapter 2, the other visions in Dan 2-6 dont have the wide sweep of application as do the visions granted to Daniel. The vision explained in this chapt

49、er parallels the vision God gave to Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 2. In this vision Daniel learned about six different kingdoms, four of them kingdoms of this world, one of them the kingdom of Satan and the last one the kingdom of Messiah. (The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament)Daniel 7:1-31. T

50、he kingdoms of this world (Daniel 7:1-7, 15-23) God communicated with Daniel while he was asleep by giving him disturbing visions in a dream (vv. 1-2, 15). During this vision, Daniel was also a part of the event because he was able to approach an angel and ask for an interpretation (v. 16). Daniel d

51、oesnt explain how he could he asleep in his bed and yet be able to speak to an angel standing before the throne of God. Perhaps like Paul, he didnt know if he was in the body or out of the body (see 8:2; 2 Colossians 12:1-3). The restless sea is a frequent biblical image for the nations of the world

52、 (Isa 17:12-13; 57:20; 60:5; Ezekiel 26:3; Rev 13:1; 17:15). Just as the ocean is sometimes stormy, so the nations of the world are sometimes in confusion or even at war; and just as the waves and currents of the ocean are unpredictable, so the course of world history is beyond mans ability to chart

53、 or predict. Historians like Oswald Spengler and Arnold Toynbee have attempted to find a pattern to world history, but to no avail. From the human point of view, the nations seem to work out their own destinies, but the invisible winds of God blow over the surface of the water to accomplish His will

54、 in His time. If theres one message that is emphasized in the Book of Daniel its that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men (Daniel 4:32, NKJV). (Bible Exposition Comm.)Daniel 7:1Then he wrote the dream He made a record of it at the time. He did not commit it to tradition, or wait for its fulfil

55、lment before it was recorded, but long before the events referred to occurred he committed the prediction to writing, that when the prophecy was fulfilled they might be compared with it. It was customary among the prophets to record their predictions, whether communicated in a dream, in a vision, or

56、 by words to them, that there might be no doubt when the event occurred that there had been an inspired prediction of it, and that there might be an opportunity of a careful comparison of the prediction with the event. Often the prophets were commanded to record their predictions. See Isa 8:1, 16; 3

57、0:8; Hab 2:2. Compare Rev 1:19; 14:13; 21:5. In many instances, as in the case before us, the record was made hundreds of years before the event occurred, and as there is all the evidence that there could be in a case that the record has not been altered to adapt it to the event, the highest proof i

58、s thus furnished of the inspiration of the prophets. The meaning here is, that Daniel wrote out the dream as soon as it occurred. (Barnes Notes) And told the sum of the matters Chaldee, And spake the head of the words. That is, he spake or told them by writing. He made a communication of them in this manner to the world. It is not implied that he made any oral communication of them to anyone, but that he communicated th