Daniel 7
Four Beasts and the Son of Man
(Daniel 7)
Jason Procopio
We’ve reached the halfway point, friends: Daniel chapter 7.
Before we jump in, we need to take a little time to talk about what to expect in the next six chapters of this book.
If you’ve been with us for the last six weeks, you know we’ve seen the first six chapters of the book of Daniel, which fall firmly into the genre of historical narrative. They’re stories—stories about what happened to Daniel and his friends after being exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem.
We’ve seen them narrowly escape wrongful death (in the case of Daniel, in a den of lions in chapter 6; in the case of his friends, in a fiery furnace in chapter 3). We’ve seen Daniel, through the power of God, interpret two dreams that King Nebuchadnezzar had, as well as a strange message which Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson, Belshazzar, received. We’ve seen Daniel navigate the reigns of three separate kings in Babylon with integrity and faithfulness to his God.
Now here, in chapter 7, the book of Daniel changes dramatically. Mostly because Daniel switches genres on us: chapters 7 to 12 of Daniel are no longer written as narrative; the writing is, rather, prophetic and apocalyptic in nature. "Apocalypse” means “revelation, disclosure, or unveiling”—when we encounter apocalyptic writing in the Bible, that means that God is revealing unseen heavenly or future realities. Most of the time these realities are revealed through symbols.
Now I know how cumbersome symbols can be to the casual reader of the Bible. They’re cumbersome because there is so much disagreement amongst Christians about what those symbols mean. But it’s important to ask ourselves why symbols are used in apocalyptic literature. Many prophecies in the Bible actually come out and say what's going to happen: The Messiah will be born in this town (Bethlehem), to this kind of mother (a virgin), and he will be this kind of person (cf. Micah 5.2, Isaiah 7.14, Isaiah 53).
In apocalyptic literature, that’s not usually what happens. Usually God communicates his message, through the prophets, using symbols—some of which will be easily identifiable, and others which aren’t so clear. It’s really important to remember that God is not in the business of deceiving his people, or of giving us riddles to solve. He’s not up in heaven, sending down scraps of mysterious information, and hoping some theological genius will be able to decipher his riddle and win a prize.
My seminary professor Tim Chester holds (and I agree) that in apocalyptic literature, symbols are used not mainly to communicate specific and clear information, but to ignite the imagination. To stir us up to be in awe of him and worship him and trust in him. So rather than just giving us names and dates, he gives us pictures—insane, massive, weird and sometimes unsettling pictures, to give us a big, hearty, stirring trust and amazement of our great God. And on those times when the symbols are clear—well, that’s a bonus, and it just adds to our trust that God knows everything and tells the truth.
That’s what we’re up against in the next six chapters.
Chapter 7 gives us a good introduction to this strange section of the book. We’re going to see that God is sovereign over the world; that God is sovereign over his kingdom; and that God is sovereign over his people.
God Is Sovereign Over the World (v. 1-8)
Daniel 7 begins with a leap backward in time. If you remember, we’ve been through the reign of three kings: Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius. The first verse of Daniel 7 begins,
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream...
So we’re going back to the beginning of the reign of the second king—Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson. And Daniel’s vision is actually a kind of retelling of the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had in chapter 2. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a huge statue, with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, middle and thighs of bronze, legs and feet of iron and clay (Daniel 2.31-33). Daniel explained that these different parts of the statue represented four kingdoms. And we saw that these four kingdoms were probably Babylon, the Medo-Persian empire, Greece and Rome.
Funnily enough, we’re going to see something very similar here, but using very different and much fuller images.
Let’s read, v. 1-8:
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. 2 Daniel declared, “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 out of the sea, different from one another. 4 The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ 6 After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different 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 horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
So rather than a big statue with four parts, here we have four beasts, which get progressively weirder and weirder. (I loved this passage when I was a kid. I understood nothing, but I loved the imagery.)
And just a quick note: Some of the interpretations I’m going to give are contested, and we simply don’t have time to see all the interpretive possibilities. So I’m going to give you my opinion, and then at the end I’m going to say why at the end of the day, who is right in this debate doesn’t really matter (at least not dramatically—the gospel won’t completely change if you have a different interpretation). Regardless of how you interpret the symbols in this chapter, the main goal of this prophecy remains the same.
The first beast is a lion with eagles’ wings—this beast corresponds to the golden head of the statue of chapter 2. We see in v. 4 that the lion’s wings are plucked off, and it’s lifted up and made to stand like a man, and it receives the mind of a man.
Already, this picture should sound familiar to us. That’s Nebuchadnezzar, the first king we met; his kingdom is the kingdom of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar was a brutal, savage king who amassed huge amounts of power. He was prideful and arrogant: he considered himself, as it was, “the king of the jungle.”
But what happened in chapter 4? Because of Nebuchadnezzar’s pride, God humbled him. He made him lose his mind. He went out and lived like an animal for a time. His wings were plucked off. And then, towards the end of chapter 4, God causes his reason to return to him: he stands him back up on his own two feet again, and gives him the mind of a man.
The second beast is a bear with three ribs in its mouth (v. 5), who is told to “arise and devour much flesh.” This corresponds to the statue’s chest and arms of silver. So if you remember, this is probably the Medo-Persian empire. The bear has three ribs in its mouth; the Medo-Persian empire would rise to power (was actually rising to power when Daniel had this dream) by conquering three distinct kingdoms: the Lydian kingdom in Asia Minor in 546 B.C., the Chaldean Empire in 539 B.C., and Egypt in 525 B.C.
The third beast is a leopard, with four wings and four heads. As you’ve probably guessed, this corresponds to the middle and the thighs of the statue in chapter 2; and as we said a few weeks ago, this is probably Greece. The “dominion” given to this beast, as well as its form, are certainly suggestive what happened to Greece—Alexander built his empire with incredible speed (four wings), and upon his death the kingdom was divided into four separate alliances: Greece and Macedonia, Thrace and Asia Minor, the rest of Asia, and Egypt and Palestine.
The fourth beast is the one that Daniel gives the most attention to, and with good reason. He doesn’t actually describe what it looks like, probably because it’s like nothing he’s ever seen—he merely says it was terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong (v. 7). It has huge iron teeth; whatever it clasped in its mouth it shattered and trampled what fell out with its feet.
Remember the iron feet of chapter 2? That was Rome—the greatest empire in history up to that point.
Now at this point Daniel is expecting us to have made the links between these four beasts and the statue in chapter 2. Four kingdoms, each greater and more frightening than the last.
But in the second half of v. 7 Daniel comes in with new details about this fourth beast. He describes ten horns coming out of the beast. Among these ten horns grows up another, smaller horn; three of the first ten horns are plucked up. In this smaller horn, there are human eyes, and a mouth “speaking great things.”
Ancient Rome—the fourth beast here—is kind of the epitome of a society that is resistant to Christianity (the most brutal persecution of Christians in their early years came from Rome, under the guidance of the emperor Nero). So the ten horns coming out of the beast are probably symbolising the types of emperors we’d see in the Roman empire: emperors who would speak blasphemy against God and who would themselves claim to be deities (as we’ll see in v. 25).
The little horn, with its mouth “speaking great things”, is almost always understood to be a reference to a figure called “the Antichrist”, who shows up later in the Bible, in 2 Thessalonians 2 as “the man of lawlessness…doomed for destruction”, and again in the book of Revelation. End-times fanatics have a field-day with this, always trying to identify just who the Antichrist is.
Personally, I’m not completely convinced there will be just one figure who will be “the Antichrist”. That could be, but it’s important to note what he does, or more importantly, what he typifies. In Daniel’s vision, this little horn is a kind of personification of evil itself—a final consummation of all that is against Christ. So it’s not surprising that throughout history, Christians have identified contemporary or recent figures as being the Antichrist. Early Protestant commentators saw the little horn in the power of the Catholic church. Calvin thought it was Rome itself. Still others have seen more modern links, like Stalin or Hitler.
I think we should avoid trying to identify any one specific individual as the little horn (or the other ten horns, for that matter) because I don’t think that’s Daniel’s point. I think his point is to show that kingdoms of this world will always reject God’s rule and reign (like Rome did, with their emperors claiming to be God). And whether or not the so-called Antichrist will be one specific figure in history, we do know who is behind his activity, and that is Satan himself, tempting and deceiving and driving these kings and kingdoms to blaspheme God, and persecute God’s people.
Now, all of that is setup, but it’s really important setup. These kingdoms—prophecied in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2, and here in Daniel’s vision in chapter 7—did indeed come, and even if we could debate the details, no one would ever suggest that kingdoms like these have been around for a very long time, seeking to set themselves up as the ultimate authorities in their kingdom.
But who has authority over the kings?
Daniel’s already given us the answer on multiple occasions in this book: God has authority over these kings. He gives authority, and he takes authority, as he wills. As he said to Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 4:
the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will (v. 17, 25, 32).
But how does God’s authority—namely, his authority over often unjust kings and kingdoms—play itself out? How and when does God bring his authority to bear on these unjust kingdoms?
That’s the real question of this text, and that question is answered in the following verses.
God Is Sovereign Over His Kingdom (v. 9-14)
9 “As I looked,
thrones were placed,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat;
his clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames;
its wheels were burning fire.
10 A stream of fire issued
and came out from before him;
a thousand thousands served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;
the court sat in judgment,
and the books were opened.
11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
So we need to remember that these symbolic images are just that: they’re pictures designed to awaken our imagination. They’re designed to impress, not to act as a historical road map. And as such, they are often cyclical—rather than speaking chronologically, the vision loops back on itself. Or rather, like layers of an onion, it often describes other things happening behind the scenes of things we’ve already seen. Time isn’t relevant; what’s relevant is the how and the what. How does God exercise his authority over Satan and the kingdoms of the world, and what happens when he does it?
As Daniel watches, thrones are set up, and on the central throne, the “Ancient of Days” takes his seat (v. 9). The “Ancient of Days” is a term for God himself, and here he cuts a striking figure: white hair, white clothes, a throne of flames, flames under the throne, flames coming out from him. (Pyromaniacs love v. 10.)
But it gets even more impressive when we read that thousands and thousands of people stand before him, to be judged. When you’re being judged by someone surrounded by fire, you know it’s serious. God does not give his opinion. He doesn’t express a wish: “I really wish you’d have done better.” The book is open in front of him, and he gives the facts—you did this, you deserve this, you get this.
And God is so great, so powerful, that the judgment he renders against men is rendered against all men, even the most powerful of kings.
In v. 11-12, the beast—out of which the little horn is speaking great, cacophonous words—is unceremoniously killed, and its body destroyed, burned up. The other beasts don’t receive the same harsh treatment—they’re allowed to keep living—but their dominion is taken away from them.
In other words, Satan’s life and influence have an expiration date. He stands as nothing before our holy God, and his end will be swift and brutal and absolute—and indeed, the decisive blow against him has already been struck, as we’ll see. Those kingdoms he influences are allowed to continue for a time, but they no longer have any real authority; they can’t do anything to threaten God’s plan or his will.
So the question is, again, how does God do this? How does he exercise his judgment? How does he strike the death blow against Satan?
Well, Daniel sees something else. V. 13:
13 “I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
Now Daniel's use of this phrase “a son of man” is telling. The only kind of being who could fit the bill we see here—someone who presents himself before God and receives God’s kingdom and God’s glory and God’s dominion—would be God himself, because God doesn’t share his glory with anyone else.
But at the same time, this son of man is distinct: he looks like a person, he’s a human being.
Daniel describes him this way in order for us to quickly see that this person is no ordinary person. He’s human, but he’s not only human. He’s also divine. Fully God, and fully man.
Now Daniel probably didn’t know precisely who this was referring to. But the promise is clear as crystal, v. 14:
14 And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.
So Daniel sees this prophetic vision of a God-man who presents himself before God, and who receives God’s glory and dominion and kingdom. What a hope this would be for an exiled member of God’s covenant people! This is what we saw last week: God’s presence and his reign seem to have disappeared from God’s people. They have lost their home, they have lost their kingdom… It could seem like God has lost.
But soon there will come a ruler, a King, who will be God, and who win. He will bring God’s presence and reign back to his people. And not only will he rule over God’s people; he will rule over all people—all peoples, nations, and languages [will] serve him.
This is a massive, incredible, glorious hope for God’s exiled people.
And although Daniel never got to see it in his life, that hope was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
When Jesus came, he most regularly referred to himself using this same title—“Son of Man.” It was his favorite nickname for himself. But he tweaked it a little: Daniel describes someone like a son of man, whereas Jesus called himself “THE Son of Man”—as in, the Son of Man Daniel saw in his vision. All of the Jewish people who listened to Jesus preach and who watched his life and ministry would have known the book of Daniel well. They knew this vision. They expected the Son of Man’s authority and dominion to be exercised very differently—through military might, through fire, like in the vision.
But many of them would soon recognize that God may have fulfilled this prophecy another way—a wholly unexpected way.
Jesus Christ came, the Son of God in human form. He lived a perfect, sinless life among sinners. He took on himself the sins of his people. He died a real, human death in their place, suffered the punishment for their sins. He was raised from death, glorified and renewed. And he ascended to heaven, and took his seat next to the Father, and received…what? Dominion, and glory, and the kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him.
It is a wholly surprising turn of events that the Son of Man of Daniel 7 would take up his throne by dying for his people. And yet, that’s exactly what he did.
That part of the promise—let’s say, the first half of v. 14—has already been fulfilled. Right now, today, Jesus Christ reigns in heaven.
But how much of that do most of us see today? If Jesus Christ is reigning over the world today (and he is), we still have to admit that there are still parts of this kingdom that are in rebellion against their King. That he’s reigning over a kingdom that hasn’t yet come to full realization.
That’s why Jesus so often described the kingdom of God as things like yeast, or a mustard seed: it starts small, but grows. Remember the stone of chapter 2—the stone which crushes the feet of the statue and which grows into a mountain which fills the whole earth.
This has started—but it’s not yet finished.
One day, Jesus Christ will return to this earth. He will judge the living and the dead—every just and unjust ruler, every just and unjust subject. And on that day, his reign will be global—all peoples, nations, and languages will serve him; his dominion shall not pass away, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed. There will not be a corner of this earth that won’t be visibly under his rule.
And as if that wasn’t incredible enough, upon his return, he will take his kingdom, and he will share it with his people.
God Is Sovereign Over His People (v. 15-28)
15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. 16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 17 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’
It may seem surprising that Daniel is “anxious” or “alarmed” by what he sees in his vision. Isn’t this the guy who interprets dreams for others? If he’s a prophet, shouldn’t he understand these things?
The answer is, No! Not on his own, at least. We should always remember that the greatest prophet, the greatest man or woman of God, is just a man, or just a woman. All the understanding they have is given to them, and if God withholds it, they don’t understand.
Daniel doesn’t understand right away what this vision means, so he has to be told.
And the interpretation he receives is both incredibly sobering and incredibly encouraging.
V. 19:
19 “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, 20 and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. 21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.
23 “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,
there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,
which shall be different from all the kingdoms,
and it shall devour the whole earth,
and trample it down, and break it to pieces.
24 As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,
and another shall arise after them;
he shall be different from the former ones,
and shall put down three kings.
25 He shall speak words against the Most High,
and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,
and shall think to change the times and the law;
and they shall be given into his hand
for a time, times, and half a time.
26 But the court shall sit in judgment,
and his dominion shall be taken away,
to be consumed and destroyed to the end.
As we saw before, I don’t think anyone can say with absolute certainty exactly which kingdoms, which kings, these symbols refer to. And in the end it doesn’t really matter.
The point is this: the kingdoms of the world will provoke suffering for God’s people. Some kingdoms more than others, absolutely; but if we belong to God’s people, then we will suffer.
It makes sense when you think about it. The kingdom of God has been inaugurated, but it hasn’t yet been fully realized. We are, in a very real way, foreigners: we live in this world, but we belong to another. Any expat can tell you that living in a foreign country always carries with it a certain degree of difficulty. And when you consider the differences between the kingdom we’re living in—the world—and the kingdom we belong to—the kingdom of God—it’s easy to see that we’re going to have to endure more than mere “difficulty.” This world is broken, marred by sin; God’s kingdom is perfectly holy. It is not surprising that God’s people should suffer while they’re living here.
It seems almost silly to say this in our context. We suffer very, very little here in France. More than in some places, perhaps, but far less than in others. But no one knows what we will be called to suffer tomorrow.
So while we’re here, while we’re suffering or preparing to suffer, we need something to hold on to. We need hope. We need the promises of our God.
And that’s why we have v. 27.
27 And the kingdom and the dominion
and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven
shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;
his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,
and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’
His language echoes the language of v. 14: this everlasting kingdom, with dominion over all dominions, is the kingdom of the Son of Man. And the Son of Man, the Son of God, our King Jesus Christ, will give the kingdom to us, his people, his saints.
We already saw this in v. 18: But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.
But here, in v. 27, he goes one step further. It is not only the kingdom which is given to God’s people, but the dominion as well.
In Revelation 22.4-5, John describes his vision of the new heavens and the new earth, after Christ returns and renews the earth. He describes the saints of God—everyone who has placed their faith in Christ for salvation:
4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
This is one of the truths of the Bible I find hardest to believe, but I have to. John and Daniel both say that we will reign with Christ over the renewed earth. He will leave us with the responsibility he gave us all the way back in Genesis 1.28, when God created the world, then created man, and told him to fill the earth and subdue it, to have dominion over it.
When Christ returns, God’s commandment to Adam will finally be a reality for all of God’s redeemed humanity.
We have to see that this is our hope, brothers and sisters. The sovereignty of God over the kingdoms of this world, over the kingdom of his Son, and over his people, is the only hope we have. If God wasn’t sovereign, he couldn’t make these kinds of promises, because he’d be chained to our free will. He’d have to do what we want to do, and how many times have we seen that no one chooses God on their own? But because God is sovereign, he can promise us these things. He can plan to share his kingdom with his people, and he can bring that promise to fruition.
What this changes for us
Now I know that’s a lot of info to take in, and trust me—it’s going to get even better in the coming weeks. So as we close, let’s quickly consider what these present and future realities change for us.
V. 1-8: God is sovereign over the world. Because God is sovereign over the world—even as it is sinful—we need not fear the world. So many of us are hamstrung in our Christian lives because we’re afraid of what the world will do to us if we obey. Afraid of what our friends will say. What our families will say. What our colleagues will think. What our employers will do. What the government will do. And all of these things we’re afraid of might well happen. Daniel was thrown into that den of lions.
But because God is sovereign over the world today, we have nothing to fear from it. Nothing—natural, human or demonic—can come at us that doesn’t pass through God’s hands first, that he doesn’t allow for our good and for his glory. We have nothing to be afraid of.
V. 9-14: God is sovereign over his kingdom. Because God is sovereign over his kingdom, we should live with the full, unassailable confidence that his kingdom has come, and his kingdom WILL come. We should be hungry to see God’s kingdom keep advancing in the world, because that’s how we’ll spend eternity, and we want to start now. As Billy Crystal said in When Harry Met Sally…, “When you find out you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to begin as soon as possible.”
So because we want to live our eternal lives with Christ now, we should be fueled by a deep desire to see his kingdom come, to see people come to faith in Christ, to take pleasure in his glory now as we will forever. Our pleasure in the glory of Christ should be the primary motivation of everything we do, because it will be the only motivation for everything we will do for all eternity.
V. 15-18: God is sovereign over his people. Because God is sovereign over his people, we can live with the full, unassailable confidence that when God’s kingdom comes, he will share it with us. We will reign with him. And knowing we will reign with him will radically change the way we live now.
James Boice writes: “If we are to rule with the Lord Jesus Christ one day, we should be able to show something of the wisdom and justice of his rule now—and not have to appeal to unbelievers to settle our internal disputes. More than that, we should be models of integrity, compassion, love, honesty, and wisdom in our dealings with other men and women.”
Brothers and sisters, God is sovereign over this world, over his kingdom, and over his people. So rest in his sovereignty. Rest in his goodness. And rest in the glorious power of our King Jesus, who ascended to heaven and who reigns over us.
