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DANIEL 2 AND 7:�THE ABC’S OF �APOCALYPTIC PROPHECIES

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Daniel 2

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“You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! ...

Daniel 2:31

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... This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome.”

Daniel 2:31

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“This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver,...

Daniel 2:32, 33

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...its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.”

Daniel 2:32, 33

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“You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.”

Daniel 2:34

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Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Daniel 2:35

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Daniel 7

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Daniel 7:2, 3

Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.

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The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s 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 man’s heart was given to it.

Daniel 7:4

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Daniel 7:5

“And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’

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Daniel 7:6

“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.

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Daniel 7:7

“After this I saw in the night visions, 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.

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Daniel 7:8

I was considering the horns, and there 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.

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Daniel 7:9

“I watched till thrones were put in place,

And the Ancient of Days was seated;

His garment was white as snow,

And the hair of His head was like pure wool.

His throne was a fiery flame,

Its wheels a burning fire;

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Daniel 7:10

A fiery stream issued

And came forth from before Him.

A thousand thousands ministered to Him;

Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.

The court was seated,

And the books were opened.

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Daniel 7:11

“I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame.

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Daniel 7:13

“I was watching in the night visions,

And behold, One like the Son of Man,

Coming with the clouds of heaven!

He came to the Ancient of Days,

And they brought Him near before Him.

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Daniel 7:14

Then 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 the one Which shall not be destroyed.

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Daniel 7:17, 18

‘Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’

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PARALLELISM IN DANIEL 2 AND 7

The pattern of four earthly kingdoms followed by the kingdom of God.
Both prophecies portray the third kingdom as receiving special authority and describe the fourth kingdom in more detail than any of the others.
Each employs the symbol of “iron” to depict the fourth kingdom as a particularly destructive power.
Each vision ends with the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth, thus bringing all human kingdoms to an end.

An examination of Daniel 2 and 7 discloses some significant parallels between those two chapters and suggests that they both deal with the same subject matter. The most obvious similarity is the pattern of four earthly kingdoms (Dan. 2:37-40; 7:17) followed by the kingdom of God (Dan. 2:44; 7:27).

Both prophecies portray the third kingdom as receiving special authority (Dan. 2:39, it “will rule over the whole earth”; Dan. 7:6, “it was given authority to rule”) and describe the fourth kingdom in more detail than any of the others (Dan. 2:40-43; 7:7, 19-23).

Each employs the symbol of “iron” to depict the fourth kingdom as a particularly destructive power (Dan. 2:40; 7:7). And each vision ends with the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth, thus bringing all human kingdoms to an end (Dan. 2:44, 45; 7:14, 27).

The fifth kingdom differs from the earthly ones in that God establishes it Himself and it will remain forever (Dan. 2:44, 45; 7:27). Since the vision ends with a description of the same glorious event—the bursting of God’s kingdom into human history—it is obvious that the different symbols representing the four previous kingdoms designate the same historical kingdoms in both chapters. Therefore, the parallels point to the use of recapitulation in Daniel 7, using Daniel 2 as the basic frame of reference.

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FOUR KINGDOMS

Daniel 2:37

“...You are this head of gold.”

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FOUR KINGDOMS

Jer. 4:7

The lion has come up from his thicket, And the destroyer of nations is on his way…

Jer. 49:22

Behold, He shall come up and fly like the eagle,

And spread His wings over Bozrah;…

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FOUR KINGDOMS

Dan. 5:28

“PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”

Dan. 8:20

The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia.

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FOUR KINGDOMS

Dan. 8:21

And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king.

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FOUR KINGDOMS

Matt. 24:15-16

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

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NEW ELEMENTS IN DANIEL 7

The little horn.

The judgment scene.

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THE LITTLE HORN IN DANIEL 7

Identification

of the little horn

The moment when it became powerful.

Its role and nature.

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RISE OF THE LITTLE HORN TO POWER

The little horn was part of the fourth beast; therefore, it had to appear within history during the time of Rome and not before (Dan. 7:11, 24-26).

The activity of the horn would last a long period of time, coming to an end shortly before the visible formation of God’s kingdom on earth (Dan. 7:25, 26).

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RISE OF THE LITTLE HORN TO POWER

It came into full power after the fracturing of Rome, the empire represented by the beast. (Dan. 7:24).

The horn rose to power through conflict with three of the 10 horns. Three of them “were uprooted” thus losing their power and influence.(Dan. 7:8, 24).

C. The fact that the vision associates the horn with the 10 horns of the beast suggests that it came into full power after the fracturing of Rome, the empire represented by the beast. Daniel 2 had already indicated that the fourth kingdom would be a divided kingdom (Dan. 2:41). The vision recorded in chapter 7 develops that idea in more detail. The angel tells Daniel: “Ten kings . . . will come from this kingdom” (Dan. 7:24), meaning that the kingdom will splinter into a number of small kingdoms (cf. Dan. 8:22). Only after that takes place will the power represented by the little horn emerge (Dan. 7:24).

D. The horn rose to power through conflict with three of the 10 horns. Three of them “were uprooted” (verse 8) or “humiliated” (see verse 24), thus losing their power and influence. The horn did not simply appear after the fall of Rome but, more precisely, after historical events removed three of the 10 powers into which the empire divided.

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RISE OF THE LITTLE HORN TO POWER

A.D. 476 – Fragmentation of the Roman empire. Rise of barbarian kingdoms.

A.D. 493 – Eradication of the Arian Heruls.

A.D. 508 – The baptism of King Clovis of the Franks.

A.D. 534 – The extermination of the Arian Vandals.

A.D. 538 – breaking the power of the Arian Ostrogoths.

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NATURE AND ROLE OF THE LITTLE HORN

It spoke boastfully against God by instituting doctrines and dogmas not found in the Scriptures.

- Immortality of the soul.

- Sacrament of penance.

- Confession to the priest.

The mediation of saints in heaven and of priests within the church substituted for and even supplanted Christ’s mediatorial priestly role.

According to Daniel 7 the little horn would perform certain specific political and religious activities aimed at God and His people. It spoke boastfully against God by instituting doctrines and dogmas not found in the Scriptures. The teaching office of the church introduced nonbiblical concepts and required their acceptance by all. Christian leadership defined the church as the exclusive means through which God’s grace reached humanity, and a priestly system evolved to mediate that grace to the individual. The mediation of saints in heaven and of priests within the church substituted for and even supplanted Christ’s mediatorial priestly role.

Theologians accepted such teachings as the immortality of the soul, the sacrament of penance, auricular confession, and others, even though they lacked biblical support.

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Nature and Role of the Little Horn

He shall speak pompous words against the Most High.

2. Shall persecute the saints of the Most High.

Daniel 7:25

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Nature and Role of the Little Horn

3. Shall intend to change times and law.

4. The saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.

Daniel 7:25

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TIME: 1 YEAR (360 days)

538 A.D.

1798 A.D.

+

1260 Prophetic days

TIMES: 2 YEAR (720 days)

HALF TIME: 1/2 YEAR (180 days)

=

+

3 1/2 YEARS

1260

The rise and fall of the little horn was to cover “time, times and half a time” (Dan. 7:25), a prophetic period the equivalent of 1260 days. In Daniel “time” designates a prophetic year (360 days), “times” is a dual, that is to say, a plural formed only by two elements (thus 720 days), and “half a time” is half a year (180 days). If we add 360 + 720 + 180, we get 1260 days. Apply the year-day principle, and we get 1260 years as the time for the hegemony or dominance of the little horn, the union of church and state during the Middle Ages.

A number of interpreters of apocalyptic during the past used the year 538 as the starting point for the 1260 years, and Adventists have accepted that date as the best possibility. That is the year when Rome defeated the last Arian kingdom, the Ostrogoths. In order to view the significance of this prophetic period properly, we should understand that “Roman Catholicism, viewed as a particular set of ideals, beliefs, and philosophies, enjoyed increasing influence over the minds of Western Europeans during the early part of the 1260 years (around 538-1000), was dominant during the central part (1000-1300), and waned during the last part (1300-1798).

And the prophetic period was to be marked at its beginning and ending by specific events, the granting of power, throne, and authority and later by a capture and the stroke of a sword [Rev. 13:2, 3].” The 1260 years ran from 538 to 1798, when the French general Berthier arrested and exiled Pope Pius VI in an attempt to end the Roman Catholic system.

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THE JUDGMENT SCENE

This judgment takes place in heaven before God, the heavenly council, and the angelic hosts.
God’s people receive the kingdom after the judgment ceases.
The judgment begins some time after the 1260 years ended.
God pronounces judgment in favor of His people.

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Key Message of Daniel 2 and 7

Daniel 2:44, 7:27

…the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed;

…His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’

The message of Daniel 2 and 7 is not about the historical succession of earthly kingdoms, but about how that phenomenon leads to the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth through the work of God and the Messiah, the Son of Man. Implicit in both chapters is a particular understanding of human history and where it is heading. Scripture partially conveys that specific view of history through the intriguing symbols it uses to represent the different kingdoms.

In Daniel 2 we find a large statue in the form of a human being. It represents the various kingdoms by its different materials (gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay), but in Daniel 7 we encounter animals or wild beasts symbolizing the same kingdoms. In the case of the statue we have one basic object, in the form of a human being, apparently suggesting that history is the result of human achievement. The vision offers no suggestion of violence as we move from the head to the

arms, to the thighs, and to the legs of the statue. An element of disorder does appear with the fourth kingdom in that it fractures and remains divided to the end. However, efforts are made to minimize the division through intermarriages. One empire seems to follow the other in logical sequence in an almost peaceful way. Yet the vision alludes to a process of deterioration in human history. The passage considers each kingdom to be in some respect inferior to the previous one.

Human history is not developing and growing into something greater and more beautiful—into a unified whole—but is rather heading toward fragmentation and lack of cohesiveness. Near the end of world history there will be a perception of human unity, but it will be very fragile and easily broken.

Daniel 7 uses wild animals to represent the four kingdoms. They arrive on the stage of human history through struggle and war symbolized by a storm-tossed sea (Dan. 7:2). Violence seems to characterize the kingdoms as they rise and fall. The wings of the lion get torn off, bringing its power to an end (verse 4), the bear was bloodthirsty (verse 5), the leopard had authority to rule (verse 6), but the fourth beast was absolutely savage, crushing, devouring, and trampling its victims underfoot (verse 7). The symbolism of wild beasts seems to emphasize the demonic in history, while the statue emphasizes the more human side. The human and the demonic interact within history and appear to have control over it. Yet Daniel rejects that conclusion. Above the human and demonic there stands the power of God and His kingdom.

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Key Message of Daniel 2 and 7

Jesus came proclaiming the kingdom of God.

This kingdom is not the result of human effort, but comes from God Himself.

That kingdom will become gloriously visible at the Second Coming .

Jesus came proclaiming the kingdom of God (Matt. 4:23) and announcing that the kingdom was not only a future event but already present in the world in His own person (Luke 17:21). During the rule of the fourth kingdom, the Roman Empire, Jesus was already pointing to the fifth kingdom and proclaiming that God’s rule, His kingdom, was already at work in His ministry.

Daniel describes the kingdom of God as a rock cut out of a mountain—but not by human hands—that destroyed all other kingdoms (Dan. 2:44, 45). This kingdom is not the result of human effort, but comes from God Himself (Isa. 14:13). Jesus emphasized the transcendental nature of His kingdom when He said: “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). He is the rock that will transform our world into God’s kingdom (Luke 20:17).

That kingdom will become gloriously visible at the Second Coming when the world’s kingdoms become “the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 11:15). The message of the dream and the vision proclaims the final triumph of God’s rule on our planet. He is not yet universally acknowledged as Lord of our planet, but soon He and the Lamb will be recognized as worthy of praise by all. It is to that goal that the judgment scene points.