Leadership He was the most important ruler of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and a renowned builder. Daniel does not say he can interpret the dream he says God can interpret the kings dream and humbly explains to King Nebuchadnezzar that there is a God in heaven who reveals such mysteries. But here in chapter 7, as in Psalm 80:17, the son of man is more than just a man, He is the Messiah. 79 Compare Jeremiah 49:14-22, 28, where Nebuchadnezzar is compared to a lion and an eagle. In the context of the coming of His kingdom and the suffering and trials which precede it, soberness is a vitally important quality which prophecy promotes: 1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. The Roman view holds that the silver chest/arms represent the Medo-Persian Empire, belly/thighs the Greek Empire, and legs of iron/clay the Roman empire. 27 Daniel replied, No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. The fact that wicked men will prosper and prevail and that the righteous will suffer is hardly pleasant news. But the interpretation is given through me, not because Im any smarter than anyone else in the country, but so that you will know what it means, so that you will understand what you dreamed. 31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. And he solves all mysteries, I know, because youve solved this mystery.. Neither peer opposition nor the king's new law (chapter 6) greatly disturbed Daniel. The second and third beasts are briefly described in verses 5 and 6. Gods plan and program are carried out on His schedule, not ours (see 2 Peter 2:8-10). Things are not as they appear to be! WebAnswer (1 of 13): Daniel was likely between the ages of 12 and 15. Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. 78 Walvoord thinks this is the year 553 B.C., some 14 years before the fall of Babylon. Biblical Studies Press. Web27 Daniel replied, No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. Chapter 7 reveals in broad terms what the future holds. 39 But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. Nebuchadnezzar was the first ruler of Babylon to have contact with Daniel. Later, he began having visions from the Lord about the end times. Print. The statue has four parts; there are four beasts. Note the term watcher is only applied to angels in this chapter in Scripture. That was bad enough, from the religious leaders perspective, but the way in which He answered them was the last straw. What is it that these men are testifying against You? 63 But Jesus kept silent. (1) The Book of Daniel is a part of the Holy Scriptures, and thus inspired, accurate, and trustworthy. God may choose to delay judgment on the wicked until their sin reaches full bloom; the possession of the land of Canaan would not happen in Abrahams lifetime, but more than 400 years later after the suffering of the people of God (see Genesis 15:12-17). An eleventh king then rises to power, different from the others, replacing three of the previous kings. (7) No identification is made of the saints as Jews or Gentiles. There seems to be no Jewish nationalistic emphasis here, as there will be later.75. 77 According to Baldwin, This verse [13] has been the subject of more scholarly papers than any other in the book, so indicating its centrality, not only for Daniel but for the New Testament also. Baldwin, p. 142. We could never predict the goals God has determined, nor the means He has ordained for history to reach them. 31 You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! 41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. Verses 15-28 contain the divine interpretation of this vision. It therefore seems that the two prophecies speak of the same four kingdoms by means of different imagery. Ohio man charged with attempting to burn down church that planned to host drag show events. 8 While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth uttering great boasts. 45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. 4:3437 reports Nebuchadnezzars return to power. Prophecy reveals that which we would not and could not expect apart from divine revelation. This is what we need to know from Daniels vision, rather than the identity of the beasts. 12 and he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. 25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation. (4) Suffering is to be expected by the saints, before they enter into the glorious kingdom of God. Take me to the king and I will interpret his dream for him. Daniel does not say, Do not execute us yet or Hold on, dont kill me. A number of lessons from our text have broad application to our thinking and conduct as Christians. Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand, Upon the son of man whom Thou didst make strong for Thyself (Psalm 80:17). Angels First, God enabled him to explain several of the kings dreams. NET Bible. Marriage Per Daniels request, the king allows him more time to seek an interpretation of the dream from God. What do I do about calling a priest father at my Catholic University? Prophecy is necessary because Gods thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways. Daniel interprets the kings dream but again, takes no personal credit for the act, The interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzars dream, The countries depicted in Nebuchadnezzars dream, King Nebuchadnezzar pays homage to Daniel, Sources: NIV, The Message, The NET Bible, King James Version, NET Bible Notes, Faithlife Study Bible, The Apologetics Study Bible, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary, The Bible Readers Companion, Matthew Henrys Commentary, Holman Concise Bible Commentary, The Bible Exposition Commentary, The Teachers Bible Commentary, The Teachers Commentary, The Bible Guide, Word Studies in the New Testament, Holman Bible Handbook, Calvin Commentaries, Wiersbes Expository Outlines, The New Manner and Customs of the Bible, Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, The Lexham Bible Dictionary, Eastons Bible Dictionary, Harpers Bible Dictionary, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, The Archaeological Encyclopedia, Biblical Archeology Review, The New Bible Dictionary, The Lexham Analytical Lexicon, Glossary of Morpho-Syntactic Database, As the king was about to execute the wise men of Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar demands the wise men tell him his dream then Daniel and the wise men are sentenced to execution (Daniel 2:1 2:18), Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to worship Nebuchadnezzars golden god and are thrown into a fiery furnace because of their rebellion (Daniel 3:1 3:30), Nebuchadnezzar raids Jerusalem and takes Daniel and his companions to be his personal servants (Daniel 1:1 1:21). Love of Neighbor This surprise seems to be over the raw fact of what God would do to Nebuchadnezzar. The kings confession in Dan. WebIn the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, is troubled by a dream. After this chapter, the book returns to the Hebrew language. Four kings will establish four kingdoms, and some of these kingdoms have a number of kings. Spiritual Gifts he imparts knowledge to those with understanding; 2:23 O God of my fathers, I acknowledge and glorify you. We get it. Daniels first inner turmoil occurs in chapter 7. And the high priest said to Him, I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God. 64 Jesus said to him, You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, AND COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN (Matthew 26:59-64). Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The dream and the visions you had while lying on your bed are as follows. I have the answer to the kings dream. Instead, his first concern is to stop the execution of the Babylonian wise men the men who practiced magic, sorcery, astrology, and other mystical arts despised by God. 47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. The distance in time of the fulfillment of Daniel 7 said something very important to the captive Jews of Daniels day. It not only bore witness to the conversion of this king, but encouraged all of the subjects of Babylonian rule to worship the God of Israel. By 650 AD they were block-printing prayers. He ordered the offering of sacrifices and burning of incense in Daniels honor. Considering this text has changed my opinion about the gap in the prophecies of the Old Testament. As the boasting horn of Daniel 7 seems to be getting away with his blasphemies and his oppression of the saints, it seems to him he can do whatever he wishes, including the changing of times and law. He lavishes gifts on Daniel and makes him chief of all the wise men and ruler over the province of Babylon. WebDaniels Interpretation: Daniel 2.37-43: You, O king, are a king of kings. History has shown this to be true in the past, and prophecy assures us that it will be true in the future. 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. Chapter 2. The dream makes clear that the kingdom of God is going Holiness 4 The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. (Matthew 22:41 22:46), The parable of the bags of gold (Jesus tells the parable of the talents) (Matthew 25:14 25:30). The particular variety of this disease that struck Nebuchadnezzar was boanthropy, where a person believes themselves to be an ox. Note these general observations about our passage before we turn to a more detailed study. These beasts, each different from the other, are described in verses 4-7. Prophecy is revealed to men to change their perspective, to urge them to see things as God sees them rather than as they appear to the human eye. 76 It is not altogether accurate to refer to chapters 1-6 as historical and 7-12 as prophetic. 4:3 is almost identical to Ps. The only human things mentioned of the fourth beast are his eyes and his mouth. Developed by. Child-bearing is a process which involves suffering and glory. Evangelist Andrew Palau Joins Dozens of Churches in Austin, Texas for Historic SXSW Outreach Event. A keen reader will notice that the value of the metals decreases from head to feet (i.e. The Holy Bible: King James Version. [26], Most modern scholars agree that the four world empires symbolised by the statue are Babylon (the head), the Medes (arms and shoulders), Persia (thighs and legs) and Seleucid Syria and Ptolemaic Egypt (the feet). Those who will reign with Christ are those who have suffered (see Romans 8:17; Philippians 3:10-11; 2 Timothy 2:12). No wise man, enchanter, magician, or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. 32 This images head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. In New Zealand, you can study for internationally-recognised qualifications at a wide range of educational institutions. It seems that Daniel was not only wise, but an excellent statesman. 8 And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, every one whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. [14], The Book of Daniel is an apocalypse, a literary genre in which a heavenly reality is revealed to a human recipient; such works are characterized by visions, symbolism, an other-worldly mediator, an emphasis on cosmic events, angels and demons, and pseudonymity (false authorship). 4:3437 is majestic as he admits Gods power and justice, as well as his own sin and divine dependence. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. He went and said thus to him: Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation., 25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation., 26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?. The Old Testament prophet did not see the gap because he viewed the coming of Christ as God does. The Cross And Separation From The World (1 Peter 4:1-6), 7. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. The prophecies of Daniel 7 speak of a future day of reckoning, foreshadowed by the actions of Belshazzar and the judgment of God on him and his kingdom. 7 After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. 2:33 Its legs were of iron; its feet were partly of iron and partly of clay. Nebuchadnezzar (also called Nebuchadrezzar) was king of Babylon from around 605 BC to 562 BC. 3640 And now well interpret it for the king. James 1:5 tells us if we ask God for wisdom, he will provide it generously. This was your dream. 9:1; 12:1, AV, RV), and the book of Daniel insists here and in subsequent chapters (8:27; 10:1, 10, 11, 15, 18) on the anxiety and psychological turmoil involved in receiving, even at Gods hand, understanding of the future course of history. Joyce C. Baldwin, Daniel: An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1978), p. 143. The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The vision plays on before Daniel, almost as though in answer to his desire to know more. Before the coming of Christ, who would? Whether liberal or conservative, our conclusions grow out of the premises and presuppositions governing the process and the product of our interpretation. You have things to do. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. The saints should also expect the wicked to prosper, for a season. The lord answered Daniel's prayers and those of his companions by showing him the dream and interpretation in a night. Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 B.C., some 9 years before Belshazzars reign began. Consider these lessons as we conclude. From an eternal perspective, the coming of Christ and His kingdom is but one coming. God is eternal, and so is His plan for all creation. Up to this time, it was simply a synonym for being human, a son of man. 24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation. There are conflicting views of which countries are represented by the enormous statues remaining components silver chest and arms, bronze belly and thighs, and iron legs. In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. Indeed, the king did much to construct Babylon, as he was known primarily as a builder, not as a warrior.