Pt. 18d, Daniel’s Prophetic Visions
![Pt. 4, Serving Faithfully in Exile - Daniel
Pt. 18d, the Biblical Story: Daniel’s Prophetic Visions
By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© August 31, 2014
www.pastorkennedy.com
We have been studying the life of “Daniel, the Prophet”. In the past few messages we have reviewed Daniel’s childhood, the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s first dream, the huge event established for the worshipping of the golden statue, with the confrontations and deliverance at the fiery furnace. We have looked at Nebuchadnezzar’s pride and fall, the handwriting on the wall in Belshazzar’s drunken feast, and lastly, Daniel being thrown to the lions, and his deliverance by God’s Hand. The life of Daniel is recorded in the first half of the Biblical Old Testament book entitled by his name. The second half of his book, chapters 7-12, are mostly dedicated to prophecies regarding the rise and fall of political systems and other events, up until the “time of the end” (Daniel 12:4, 9-10).
Over half of the Bible [just like the book of Daniel], is written as predictive prophecy. Prophecy, which predicts the future, sets the Bible apart from all other “holy books” – for obvious reasons. If the prophecy does not come true, what does that say about the authenticity of a book’s divine origin? The Bible requires 100% accuracy for any prophet of God. This sets the Bible apart from all other books: It is over 50% prophetic, and each of its prophecies must have come true already, or must come true in the future. There are no Biblical “margins for error”.
If over half of the Bible (some say “three-quarter’s”) is predictive Prophecy and each of the prophecies is 100% accurate, shouldn’t we try to discover at least what part of those prophecies are trying to inform us… especially if those prophecies may have significant impact on our own lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren?
Daniel, the Prophet was in his 80’s when God began giving him some of these prophetic dreams. Daniel had faithfully served the Babylonian kings until he was set aside, most likely, by Belshazzar. It was during Belshazzar’s short reign that God began to give prophetic dreams to Daniel.
Daniel 7:1
7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter….
Daniel 8:1
8 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first….
The majority of prophetic dreams and visions given to Daniel, and recorded in his book, were about four earthly governments (seen below in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream), which would arise, having direct impact on the nation of Israel, and on the coming Messiah, who we know to be Jesus Christ. A “man of sin” is also revealed, someone many theologians call the “Antichrist” (2 Thess 2:3-4; Da 7:25; Da 8:25; Da 11:36; 2 Th 2:8; Re 13:5 ).
Why did God give us the prophecies found in Daniel and in the Bible?
• Did God want to encourage the people of Israel, after the destruction of Jerusalem and His Temple – that He was in control of all the governments of the world and the historical timelines of all the nations in the world, and that His People would be OK, with or without a city or Temple, for whatever time needed?
• Did God want to encourage His Children to be aware of key governments and personalities, which would emerge, before the establishment of His Kingdom?
• Did God want to point out the reality of the coming of the Messiah?
• Did God want to let us know very clearly, that in the end, He would win and His Kingdom would prevail – over all the earth?
The prophecies God gave to Daniel focused on four nations that dominated the known world before Christ, the Messiah’s coming. The fourth kingdom would be intimately involved in fulfilling the prophecies the Scripture had declared regarding the Suffering Savior, for the sins of the whole world. A derivative of the Roman government (the “10-toed feet of iron mixed with clay” government, as in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, below) would also be involved preceding the destruction of all of the world’s governments, and the establishment of Christ’s Eternal Kingdom.
Biblical predictive prophecy, in the book of Daniel and in combination with other Biblical passages, gives God’s children an understanding of what has and what is going to happen on this earth.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
Daniel 2:36–45 (NASB95)
The Interpretation—Babylon (Assyria) the First Kingdom
36 “This was the dream; now we will tell its interpretation before the king.
37 “You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory;
38 and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold.
Medo-Persia, and Greece
39 “After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.
Rome
40 “Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces.
A “Divided Kingdom” with qualities of Iron (Rome) and Clay (common)
41 “In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay.
42 “As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle.
43 “And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery.
The Divine Kingdom
44 “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.
45 “Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”
The dream of the four kingdoms that God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, establishes a foundation for the subsequent prophetic visions of Daniel, found in the book of Daniel and in Revelation. Let’s take a brief look at the vision God gave Daniel in chapter 7 of Daniel.
Daniel Chapter 7
Vision of the Four Beasts
• Four Winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea (Dan. 7:2).
Four great beasts, different from one another, came up from the sea (v. 3).
1. A beast like a lion with two wings (v. 4). (Consistent with the “head of gold” Babylonian Kingdom.)
a. Its wings were plucked,
b. It was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man;
c. A human mind also was given to it.
2. A beast like a bear (v. 5). (Consistent with the chest and arms of “silver” in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the Medo-Persian Kingdom.)
a. It was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, ‘Arise, devour much meat!’
3. A beast like a leopard (v. 6). (Consistent with the Middle and Thighs of Brass, in the Kingdom of Greece, initially under Alexander the Great, and subsequently divided to his four generals at Alexander’s death.)
a. On its back it had four wings like a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
4. A dreadful, terrifying and extremely strong beast with large iron teeth. (Consistent with the “Iron” legs of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the Roman Empire, but more descriptive of the second stage of the kingdom, which depicts 10 toes out of which a dominant world leader which will arise that many theologians identify as the “Antichrist”.)
a. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
b. A little horn, which rose up among the ten others, pulling out three by the roots (vs. 7-8).
c. The little horn had eyes like a man and a great boasting mouth.
At this point in Daniel 7, the prophecy regarding political happening on earth (symbolically portrayed in the form of “beasts”, which rise up out of the sea), the narrative of the vision breaks away to look at what is happening in heaven – at that same future point of time. I will identify verses in different “type” as they switch back and forth from a heavenly perspective (bold type) to an earthly symbolic perspective (italicized type), including, at times, the statement of what will happen to “the people of the saints of the Most High” (underlined type).
The Ancient of Days Reigns
9 “I kept looking
Until thrones were set up,
And the Ancient of Days took His seat;
His vesture was like white snow
And the hair of His head like pure wool.
His throne was ablaze with flames,
Its wheels were a burning fire.
10 “A river of fire was flowing
And coming out from before Him;
Thousands upon thousands were attending Him,
And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;
The court sat, And the books were opened.
11 “Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire.
12 “As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.
The Son of Man Presented
13 “I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a Son of Man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.
14 “And to Him was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations and men of every language
Might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one, which will not be destroyed.
The Vision Interpreted
15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me.
16 “I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things:
17 ‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth.
18 ‘But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’
19 “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,
20 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.
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.
23 “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.
24 ‘As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.
25 ‘He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
26 ‘But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.
27 ‘Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’
28 “At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”
This is as much of the book of Daniel that we can review today. These passages are foundational to the rest of the prophecies in Daniel and many found in Revelation.
Conclusion
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of a Great Image - Daniel 2:31-45
The Great Image formed from Four Metals Depicting Four Kingdom Empires that Rise to Dominate Control of the World
• The Head of Gold – The Babylonian (Assyrian) Kingdom
• Chest and Arms of Silver – Medo-Persia
• Middle and Thighs of Bronze – Greece
• Legs of Iron – Roman Empire
o Feet and 10 Toes of Iron and Clay – End of Days Empire
• “A Stone” cut from a mountain without human hands (Christ, the Son of God, Dan. 7:13-14), which strikes the image on the feet, obliterating all the earthly kingdoms, bringing them to an end, and establishing God’s Eternal Kingdom.
Daniel’s Dream of Four Beasts - Daniel 7:2-28
A beast like a lion with two wings (v. 4). (Consistent with the “head of gold” Babylonian Empire.)
A beast like a bear (v. 5). (Consistent with the chest and arms of “silver” in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the Medo-Persian Kingdom.)
A beast like a leopard with four wings (v. 6). (Consistent with the Middle and Thighs of Brass, in the Kingdom of Greece, initially under Alexander the Great, and subsequently divided to his four generals at Alexander’s death.)
A dreadful, terrifying and extremely strong beast with large iron teeth. (Consistent with the “Iron” legs of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the Roman Empire. The “End Time” era of this kingdom, depicts 10 horns (like the statue’s 10 toes) out of which a dominant world leader (little boastful horn, Dan. 7:20) arises - that many theologians identify as the “Antichrist”. (2 Thess 2:3-4; Da 7:25; Da 8:25; Da 11:36; 2 Th 2:8; Re 13:5 ).
Why did God Give Us Prophecy?
Why prophecy? …To have some fantastic, fantasy hype and display of trivia?
The unbelieving world has nothing stable to give them assurance for understanding what is going to happen in their future.
1. Nothing – Without God, nothing whatsoever can give us security, or a confidence of what is going to happen to us in the future. Nothing.
2. Educated guesses – Actuary charts, polling, or projected statistics may give some guidance for the future…unless some unknown hazard or anomaly steps in the way, at any time, to dominate, confuse and drastically change the projected course.
3. Premonitions – Fables, hunches, or purely personal predictions of future events cannot give anyone serious stability or certainty.
4. “Spirit Guides” – Fortune Tellers, or those who use some form of Astrology such as horoscopes, or Tarot Cards, etc. - who gain revelations by “channeling” information through mediums such as “spirit guides” or “from the dead”, are finding their source of information or power to be from a source which is not stable, and which is founded on spiritual deception. It is “spiritual” but not from God.
Here are a few reasons why wise Believers in Christ should be appreciative of Godly Biblical Prophecy:
No Surprises: God wants His Children to know about what is going to happen in their future, so they won’t be surprised…but honorably prepared.
2 Peter 3:3–13
3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
God does not want His Children to be surprised; therefore, He gives us prophecy.
Reality Confirmation: God wants His Children to know that they are not being deceived by foolish hearsay or unfounded predictions. Godly prophecy has been always been 100% accurate, as will be the case for Biblical prophecy yet in the future. God’s People can always trust in God’s Word and His Prophecy. God IS and His Word is Truth. Disbelieve it if you will, but don’t count on God’s Word being wrong!
2 Peter 1:19–21
19 So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
Universal Dimension: Prophecy from God is written in such a way that His Children in any generation, in any culture, and in any time period in the history of the world, can see relevance for their life, in appropriate prophetic predictions. Every Godly generation had been looking for the Messiah (beginning in the Garden of Eden - Gen. 3:15). Since Christ’s resurrection, believers in Christ look for Christ’s return in His 2nd Coming!
Hebrews 9:28
28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (1 Cor. 1:7–8; James 5:7–8; 1 Thess. 1:10)
Certainty of Life’s End: Prophecy from God is uniquely written, because the surety of prophecy will prepare His Children for the certainty of “life’s end”. End times events and one’s death are both prepared for in the same way – for every individual, for every generation whether or not the “end times of the world” events are fulfilled in any one person’s lifetime. There will be “an end of life” and accountability before God.
2 Corinthians 5:10
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Comfort, Awaken and Give us Confidence: God means prophecy to comfort us and awaken us to the reality of Himself, His Plans and Eternity with Him! God wants us to be confident and unashamed before Christ at His coming!
1 John 2:28–29
28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
Hope: God’s desire for prophecy is that in looking forward to the fulfillment of His Promises, His Children learn to renounce ungodliness and to live honorable lives before Him. Waiting for our blessed hope – the prophetically promised appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Titus 2:11–14
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.](Pt._18d,_Daniels_Prophetic_Visions_files/shapeimage_1.png)
