Daniel
Chapter 7
{Note:
From Chapter 2:4b through Chapter 7, Daniel is writing in the
Chaldean language.}
1~~In
the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon {549 BC},
Daniel's
head was on his bed
when
he had a dream and visions.
Then
he wrote the dream,
and
told the summary of the matter.
{Note: Why is Daniel meditating on the rise and fall of nations. RBT says because this was the 1st yr of the reign of Belshazzar - who was a false idol worshiper and a compete loser. So, naturally he is thinking about the fall of nations.}
2~~Daniel
spoke and said,
"I
saw in my vision by night,
and,
behold, the four winds from the heaven
strove
upon the great sea.
{Note: The four winds represents the influences on the great empires in history that destroys them - maximum violation of God's laws for establishment and divine judgment}
{Note: See also Revelation Chapter 13:2 for a Parallel Passage.}
3~~And
four great animals/beasts came up from the sea,
diverse
one from another.
{Note: Daniel saw a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a terrible beast. Each empire was different from the others. The Chaldean empire (lion) - came from a valley of swamps; Medes and the Persians (bear) - came from the mountains; Alexander's Greek empire (leopard) - started in a peninsula; and Rome (terrible beast) - also started in a peninsula.}
4a~~The first was like a lion and had eagle's wings.
{Note: A lion has great power. It is a combination of great power and speed. So the lion represents the Chaldean Empire - a very warlike people who conquered the people of Babylon and that whole area. Nabopolassar started the empire and his son Nebuchadnezzar took over at his death. The wings represent the offensive nature of the fighting machine of the Chaldeans - like the German Blitzkrieg ('lightening war').}
4b~~I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked.
{Note: The eventual downgrade of the military of a successful nation. The wings being plucked represent the fall of Nebuchadnezzar in the 7 year revolution.}
4c~~And
it {restoration of Nebuchadnezzar}
was
lifted up from the earth,
and
made stand upon the feet as a man,
and
a man's heart was given to it.
{Note: Nebuchadnezzar became saved, took in doctrine and doctrine and doctrine. Eventually he had a full recovery mentally, and his nation was restored to him by God.}
{The
Lopsided Bear}
5~~And
behold another beast, a second, like to a bear
{represents the rise of the Persian Empire},
and
it raised up itself on one side,
{it is lopsided}
and
it had three ribs in the mouth of it
{conquest of 3 great empires into 1}
between
the teeth of it.
And
they said thus unto it, 'Arise, devour much flesh.'
{conquered almost of India and to Arabia to the south - a fantastic
empire}
{Note: A bear is big, strong, and fast. This is the analogy of great power with agility. The Persian empire never got off straight with free enterprise - but it still lasted 300 years. The 3 ribs represent the manner in which it became an empire under Cyrus. Rib 1 was the Media 549 BC they were conquered by the Persians (Cyrus was a cousin to their king). Rib 2 was the conquest of the empire of Lydia under Kroisos- (who invented money as a medium of exchange) in 546 BC. Rib 3 was the conquest of Babylonia in 539BC.}
6a~~After
this I kept looking and beheld another, like a leopard
{represents Alexander the Great and his Macedonian Empire -
conquest speed compared with a leopard - less strength then
the lion or bear but more speed - he once marched his army 400
miles in 10 days - he did everything fast in his brief lifetime - he
was born about 356 BC and in 336 BC his father Phillip II was
assassinated and he took over as king and reigned until he died
at age 33 after a huge drunken stupor.},
which
had on its side
the
four wings of a bird.
{Note: The 4 wings represent the conquest of Alexander the Great in 11 years:
1st wing - conquest of Asia Minor
2nd wing - conquest of Mediterranean World
3rd wing - conquest of Persia's Eastern Empire
4th wing - conquest of today's Afghanistan and Hindu Kush and
Northern India}
{Note: Now the Persians were under Darius III - who had the mental attitude sin of fear. Alexander the Great defeated him - destroying the 'lopsided bear'. However, Alexander also had a mental attitude sin. His was the sin of a fierce temper and the guilt reaction that followed. Both became great abusers of alcohol. Both had a strong 'right lobe consciences' - however as unbelievers, they did not have doctrine in his soul.}
6b~~The
beast had also four heads
{Note:
On Alexander's death, his four generals fought for rule of his empire
1) General Salucid ruled over a huge area called 'Syria' (from India to the middle east) - his family ruled until the Romans conquered this Salucid dynasty.
2) General Ptolemy picked Egypt and Cyprus. His dynasty lasted the longest and controlled the finest and consistent wheat source in the world. Cleopatra was the last of this dynasty and Rome conquered it also under the Caesar Octavius (aka Augustus).
3) General Licinius who took over Asia Minor - Thrace and Armenia.
4) General Cassander was the 4th. He controlled Macedonia and only lasted about 20 years. He founded the city of Thessalonica and named for his wife, Alexander's step-sister, Thessaloniki}
6c~~And
dominion was given to it.
{God gives dominion to nations - He knew the affect this would
have on human history}
{Note: RBT says that the primary reason for 'the leopard' was the fact that Alexander had to create a 'common man's language for his mixture of Greek nations to understand each other. This was the origin of the Konia Greek in which the New Testament is mostly written. It is a very exact language created by a genius - Alexander.}
{First
Roman Empire - as discussed previously in Daniel}
7~~After
this I saw in the night visions,
and
behold a fourth beast,
dreadful
and terrible,
and
strong exceedingly.
{Note: Rome emerges as the successor to the empire of Alexander the Great.}
7b~~And it had great iron teeth.
It
devoured and broke in pieces,
and
stamped the residue with the feet of it
and
it was different from all the animals/beasts
that
were before it.
{Note: Teeth are divided. They devour and break in pieces. This prophecies the civil wars in the Roman Empire.}
{Prophecy
of the Revived Roman Empire of the Tribulation}
7c~~And
it had ten horns.
{Note: Now Daniel moves to the Revived Roman Empire of the Tribulation - see Revelation 13:1 and following.}
8a~~I considered the horns.
{Note: This means Daniel stopped to reflect on the history of the world - he decided the horns were the same as the 10 toes in Daniel 2:41 and 43 - only horns here because they are strong military organizations - horns are national entities with emphasis on strong military (toes represent a unity concept).}
8b~~And,
behold,
there
came up among them another little horn,
before
whom there were three of the first horns
plucked
up by the roots.
{Note: The little horn grows OUT of the 10 horns. He is the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire of the Tribulation. He will decisively defeat 3 of the 10 nations in the first half of the Tribulation.}
8c~~And,
behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man,
{idiom for genius - the Dictator will be a genius}
and
a mouth speaking great things.
{idiom for eloquent speaker - the Dictator will be a tremendous
orator making great promises}
{Vision
of the Ancient of Days - Lord's Throne Mounted on Chariot Wheels}
9a~~I
kept looking until
the
'thrones were set up'/'thrones were cast down' {r@mah}.
{Note: KJV says the thrones were 'cast down' and RBT translated it that way in the Daniel series. But previously I recorded RBT said r@mah as a Peal passive participle meant to 'set up' and that appears accurate here. So either the 'thrones of the horns' were cast down and/or the Throne of God was set up. Both would be accurate here.}
9b~~And
the 'Ancient of Days' {Eternal God}
took
His seat {see Matthew 25:31}.
9c~~His
robe was white as snow
{see also Revelation 1:13},
and
the hair on His head was pure as wool
{see also Revelation 1:14}
and
His throne . . . flames of fire.
9d~~Its
{the throne's} wheels of burning fire {see also Ezekiel 1:15}
{many thrones of the ancient world were mounted on wheels}.
{Baptism
of Fire at the 2nd Advent of Christ and End of the Tribulation}
10~~A
fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him
thousand
thousands ministered unto Him,
and
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him
{idiom for 'a number beyond counting' - an infinite number}
the
judgment was set,
and
the books were opened.
{Death
of a Beast Dictator of the Revived Roman Empire}
11~~I
beheld then because of the voice of the great words
which
the horn spoke.
I
beheld even till the animal/beast was slain,
{See Revelation 13:1 and 19:20-21}
and
his body destroyed,
and
given to the burning flame.
{both 'beast dictators' were tossed into the Lake of Fire AT the
end of the Tribulation - a thousand years before the Great White
Throne Judgment}
12~~As
concerning the rest of the animals/beasts,
they
had their dominion taken away
{the other 3 great empires included in the vision - Chaldea (in
539BC), Persia (331BC), and Macedonia disappeared in 323 BC
with the death of Alexander it is slip up}
yet
their lives were prolonged for 'a season'
{referring to that period of history while there is a decline in the
people after the empire is gone}
and
time.
{referring to the influence of these empires on the world -
goes on long after the empire is gone}
{Note: These 'peoples' continue in contrast for example to the Assyrians who are removed from history as a 'people'.}
{Verses
13-14: Third Vision of Daniel}
13~~I
saw in the night visions, and, behold,
one
like the Son of Man {Jesus Christ}
came
with the 'clouds of heaven',
{'clouds' are often used for angels - Acts 1:9, Revelation 1:7}
and
came to the 'Ancient of Days' {Eternal God},
and
they {the clouds/angels}
brought
Him {Jesus Christ}
near
before Him {God the Father}.
{Note: This is 'Operation Footstool' where the fallen angels are defeated and kicked off the earth at the end of the Tribulation.}
14~~And
there was given Him {Jesus Christ}
dominion
{power to rule - delegated to Him by God the Father},
and
glory {the result of the rule},
and
a kingdom {defines the area of His rule},
that
all people, nations, and languages,
{three divisions of any nation - races, geographical divisions and
linguistical divisions}
should
serve Him {Jesus Christ}.
His
{Jesus Christ's}
dominion
is an everlasting dominion,
which
shall not pass away,
and
His kingdom
that
which shall not be destroyed.
{means His kingdom will survive the destruction of the universe
at the end of the Millennium - only the unbelievers will be removed
from it}
15~~I,
Daniel, was grieved in my spirit
{the human spirit is the place where doctrine exists}
in
the midst of my body,
{means that Daniel is still alive - his spirit is in his body still}
and
the visions of my head troubled me.
{bothered him because he was loyal to Chaldea and this showed
him its destruction}
{Daniel
Taught by 'Teaching Angel'}
16~~I
came near unto one of them who stood by,
{referring to the angels who were providing Daniel this
information}
and
asked him the truth/doctrine of all this.
So
he {the angel} told me,
and
made me know the interpretation of the things.
17~~These
great animals/beasts, which are four,
are
four kings
{representing 4 kingdoms - see notes above},
which
shall arise out of the earth.
18~~But
the saints of the Most High
{RBT says the saints here are the born again Jews
restored from the 5th cycle of discipline at the end of the
Tribulation}
shall
take the kingdom,
and
possess the kingdom forever,
even
forever and ever.
{Verses
19-22: Interrogation Concerning the Two Roman Empires}
19~~Then
I would know the truth
of
the fourth beast {Rome},
which
was different from all the others,
exceeding
dreadful,
whose
teeth were of iron,
and
his nails of brass . . .
which
devoured, broke in pieces,
and
stamped the residue with his feet
{see notes on all these above - this is the old Roman Empire}.
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