Daniel · chapter 7 of 12
Updated on
Daniel 7 relates Daniel's vision of four beasts rising from the sea, the last with ten horns and a little horn that speaks arrogantly. Then the Ancient of Days sits in judgment, and one like a son of man receives from him an everlasting kingdom. A heavenly interpreter explains that the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom forever.
With this chapter the book of Daniel moves from the stories of the court to apocalyptic visions. Daniel 7 is also the end of the section written in Aramaic, which began in Daniel 2:4, and it takes up the theme of the dream of the statue with new images: four beasts instead of four metals, and a Son of Man instead of a stone. It is one of the most important Old Testament texts for understanding Christ.
In the first year of Belshazzar, Daniel has a vision in the night. He sees the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea, and four huge beasts, different from one another, come up out of it. The first is like a lion with eagle's wings; its wings are plucked off and it is given the heart of a man. The second is like a bear raised on one side, with three ribs in its mouth. The third is like a leopard with four wings and four heads, and dominion is given to it. The fourth is terrifying and dreadful, with iron teeth and ten horns; among them comes up a little horn with eyes like a man's and a mouth speaking great boasts.
The scene shifts to heaven: thrones are placed and the Ancient of Days takes his seat, his clothing white as snow and his throne flaming with fire. Thousands upon thousands serve him, the court sits and the books are opened. The fourth beast is slain because of the horn's boasts, and the other beasts have their dominion taken away. Then Daniel sees one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of Days; to him are given dominion, glory and a kingdom, so that all peoples serve him, and his dominion is everlasting.
Daniel is troubled and asks one of those standing there. He is told that the four beasts are four kings or kingdoms that arise from the earth, but that the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever. Daniel asks about the fourth beast. He is told that the fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom different from the others, that the ten horns are ten kings, and that another will arise and speak against the Most High, wear out the saints and try to change the times and the law, for a time, times and half a time. Then the court will sit in judgment, his dominion will be taken away and the kingdom will be given to the people of the saints. Daniel keeps the matter in his heart, his face changed.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Daniel sees thrones set in place and the Ancient of Days seated, in white clothing, on a throne of fire, before thousands who serve him as the books are opened. It is the picture of an absolute judge before whom empires give account.
One like a son of man comes with the clouds to the Ancient of Days and receives everlasting dominion, glory and a kingdom over all peoples. Jesus applied these words to himself and spoke of coming on the clouds, which ties his identity to this vision.
The saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever. After the beasts that oppress, the final dominion belongs to God's people, who receive it as a gift.
The kingdom, dominion and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is everlasting, and all dominions will serve him. It is God's answer to his people's suffering.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: From the great sea, stirred up by the four winds of heaven. — Daniel 7:2-3
Answer: Terrifying, dreadful and very strong, with great iron teeth and ten horns. — Daniel 7:7
Answer: Eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great boasts. — Daniel 7:8
Answer: With clothing white as snow, hair like pure wool and a throne of fiery flames. — Daniel 7:9
Answer: Dominion, glory and a kingdom, so that all peoples serve him, with an everlasting dominion that will not pass away. — Daniel 7:13-14
Answer: The saints of the Most High, who will possess it forever. — Daniel 7:18
Daniel 7 comforts believers who live under powers that seem invincible. The beasts are terrible, but the chapter ends in a courtroom where the Ancient of Days has the last word. For a small group, the practical question is where we need to remember that history is not in the hands of whoever is powerful at the moment.
The chapter also invites us to read prophecy humbly. Christian interpreters differ about how the beasts and the little horn are fulfilled, and it is healthy to admit it. What everyone can receive without dispute is the pastoral message: God reigns, judges rightly, gives the kingdom to the Son of Man and to his people, and so it is possible to persevere in faith.
Daniel 7 closes the Aramaic section with the certainty that the eternal kingdom belongs to God and his people. From Daniel 8 the book returns to Hebrew and presents new visions, centered on the future of Israel under the great empires and on the persecution of the faithful.
The text calls them four kingdoms. The oldest Christian reading identifies them with Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, parallel to the four metals of Daniel 2. Another reading identifies them with Babylon, Media, Persia and Greece, so that the little horn would correspond to Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Both agree that the vision comforts the faithful under oppression.
He is a ruler who speaks against the Most High and oppresses the saints for a time, times and half a time. Some identify him with Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who persecuted the Jews in the second century BC; others see a future figure, sometimes called the antichrist; others see Antiochus and also a foreshadowing of a final oppressor. The text describes his end: God's judgment.
He is a heavenly figure who receives an eternal kingdom. In the Gospels, Jesus applies the title Son of Man to himself and cites this vision before the high priest, speaking of his coming on the clouds. For that reason Christians understand him as Christ, although in the book he is also connected with the saints who receive the kingdom.