A revelation from God in his sleep discloses future events which Daniel finds most troubling. Daniel finds nothing to compare to it. He not only speaks against the Most High, he oppresses the saints. God's Judgment Usually it refers to a person as a human being. These horns are also kings, from whom kingdoms arise (verse 24). Two major divisions comprise our text: (1) Daniels dreamverses 1-14 and (2) the interpretationverses 15-28. Wisdom And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; 4 and they worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him? 5 And there was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies; and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. 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. (5) What do the four beasts represent? Daniel 1:1-2:4a was written in Hebrew. 37 Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. Prophecy is necessary because Gods thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways. WebInstead of using the lesson ideas for teaching Daniel 2:128, you could show the portion of the video that depicts the events related to Daniels interpretation of Nebuchadnezzars dream (time codes 6:1713:49).As students watch the video, invite them to look for what Daniel did when he needed wisdom and guidance. When Jesus came, He embraced this expression as a designation for Himself, giving the term meaning vastly beyond that previously held by any Jew. He had been charmed, but not changed. 2:49 And at Daniels request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the administration of the province of Babylon. 2:47; 3:29), one might think the king was on the verge of salvation. 5. 31 Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statuean enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. His followers too must be alert and ready for His return (24:44). News without bias or noise. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011. Dan. Through the ages, the saints have learned that they must wait for the promises of God to be fulfilled and that this may not happen in their lifetime (see Hebrews 11:13-16, 39-40). Chapter 9, on the other hand, has a historical account of Daniels study of Jeremiah and of his prayers of repentance and petition for Israels restoration and return to the land of promise. You have things to do. What role do they play in relation to the four beasts? In Dan. But the stone that struck the statue became a large mountain that filled the entire earth. But later on two came forward, 61 and said, This man stated, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days. 62 And the high priest stood up and said to Him, Do You make no answer? Now you have enabled me to understand what I requested from you. When we expect it least, the Lord will return, the wicked will be punished, and the kingdom of God established forevermore. 40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. Daniel 2 tells how Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzars dream, in which God provided an overview of world events in the millennia yet to come. The account of the writing on the wall and the death of Belshazzar (obviously the last year of his reign) is found in Daniel 5. (12) No distinction between the first coming of Christ and the second is made in the coming of the eternal kingdom of God. Wealth and Poverty His vision in chapter 4 should have produced more distress than it did. Developed by. 11 Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. In His response to the demand of the high priest, Jesus directly claimed to be the promised Messiah. According to our text, the prophecies of Daniel 7 will not be fulfilled for a considerable period of time. All Rights Reserved. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. 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?. First, God enabled him to explain several of the kings dreams. Daniel, along with his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (later named Shadrach, Meshach, and Nebuchadnezzar's dream: the composite statue (France, 15th century), https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108226813.004, "From Prophecy to Apocalypticism: The Expectation of the End", "The Danilic Son of Man in the New Testament", "Millennialism, Scripture, and Tradition", "Stages in the Canonization of the Book of Daniel", Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Daniel_2&oldid=1138723312, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, A. Then, Daniel 3:253:50 lines 279361 Daniel B: lines 1-71 Harbus, Antonina. How was the fourth beast different from the first three? 13 I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him.77 14 And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. In chapter 4 the king was troubled because he understood his dream (cf. Daniel boiled down his vision to its essence, so we would not fail to understand the message he meant to convey to us. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Those of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar, and Darius all agree with the prophecy of Daniel 7. Dan. He would rise from the dead (12:40). In the euphoria of this grand event, someone might well conclude the kingdom of God was to be established within the lifetime of those returning to Israel. 2:29), and he questioned the loyalty of those in his court (cf. This kings boasting turns to blasphemy. Propitiation For you have enabled me to understand the kings dilemma., 2:24 Then Daniel went in to see Arioch (whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon). Now there's much for us to learn in the story of Nebuchadnezzar's confession and open letter in this dream which is recorded here in verses 10 through 18. The God of heaven has granted you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. In verse 1 Daniel indicates his vision came to him in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar. 27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; 28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Miracles When his appointed time is over, God will destroy this king and his kingdom and establish His eternal kingdom on the earth. 44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up ya kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. (1) Why does Daniel indicate the historical setting of the vision he receives in chapter 7? The kingdom of God would not be established in Daniels lifetime, nor in the life of those who returned to the land of Israel from their captivity. Then the rock initiates destruction that fills the entire earth. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him., 25 Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means., 26 The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?. Salvation is likewise a process involving sufferingand then glory. Priesthood Astonished and troubled. He surpasses those before him by speaking boastfully, then blaspheming, and finally seeking to overthrow Gods order. Nebuchadnezzar reigned 43 yrs. 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. And have now made known to me what we asked of You, For You have made known to us the kings demand., 24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. Prophecy becomes necessary from time to time to remind men of those things God has planned for the future which He will surely fulfill. 4:1927 Daniel gives a clear interpretation of Nebuchadnezzars dream. Then he started interpreting the dream for the king. But here Arioch is trying to take credit for Daniel. His disciples were promised that they would share in His reign as King (19:20). [16] Daniel, the book's hero, is a representative apocalyptic seer, the recipient of the divine revelation: has learned the wisdom of the Babylonian magicians and surpassed them, because his God is the true source of knowledge; he is one of the maskil, the wise, whose task is to teach righteousness. Nebuchadnezzar had been convicted, but not converted. The distance in time of the fulfillment of Daniel 7 said something very important to the captive Jews of Daniels day. 31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. Persecution He is more beastly in the beginning and more human in the end, paralleling the character of Nebuchadnezzar. (how can this be, 36 + 7 = 43, no room to be restored after 7 4:13, 8 signals that a change had occurred, which he describes in this chapter. He summons his magicians and astrologers to interpret it, but demands that they first tell Dan. He ran to the king, bringing Daniel with him, and said, Ive found a man from the exiles of Judah who can interpret the kings dream!, 26 The king asked Daniel (renamed in Babylonian, Belteshazzar), Are you sure you can do thistell me the dream I had and interpret it for me?. Belshazzars rise to power and ascent to the throne seems to have inaugurated a new age for Babylon. Passing over the first three beasts, his questions focus on the last beast. Consequently, I believe that the prevailing The process of having a baby involves the pains of childbirth. 2:35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were broken in pieces without distinction and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors that the wind carries away. Dan. The gap is not the prophets problem; it is ours. (8) The four beasts are all different, with the last standing apart from the first three. Consider these lessons as we conclude. Nebuchadnezzar Yet, contact with believers alone does not convert. The first thing Daniel does when the Kings dream is revealed to him is to acknowledge that God revealed the dream and thank God for giving him insight. 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. Daniel (Old English poem Suffering The righteous will suffer. This was your dream. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. In his night dream, the king saw a gigantic statue made of four metals, from its head of gold to its feet of mingled iron and clay; as he watched, a stone "not cut by human hands" destroyed the statue and became a mountain filling the whole world. Dan. Arrogant, boastful, and even blasphemous kings will reign over the nations, opposing God and oppressing His saints. Prophecies are given so that we may look at history, especially events occurring in our own lifetime, from Gods perspective. 2:37 You, O king, are the king of kings. Escort me to the king, and I will disclose the interpretation to him!. Neither peer opposition nor the king's new law (chapter 6) greatly disturbed Daniel. The blasphemous horn of Daniel 7, which goes so far as to oppose the people of God, is suddenly taken by death, and his kingdom is removed. [25] Finally Nebuchadnezzar prostrates himself before Daniel and commands that offerings and incense be offered to him, suggesting that he views Daniel as divine; nevertheless, although he acknowledges and respects the god of Daniel, he is not a convert. "[32], The traditional interpretation of the dream identifies the four empires as the Babylonian (the head), Medo-Persian (arms and shoulders), Greek (thighs and legs), and Roman (the feet) empires.[33]. As we will soon see, despite saving their lives, the courts wise men did not appreciate Daniels sudden rise. [4], The overall theme of the Book of Daniel is God's sovereignty over history. Nebuchadnezzars polytheist beliefs left room for many gods, including Daniel. As the destruction of the last beast and the blaspheming horn came as a complete shock to them, so the Lords coming will catch unbelievers unprepared as well (24:27-39). Deut. Sign up for the Bible Blender newsletter and receive the latest on science and tech news, new product notifications, exclusive features, and more. Just as iron smashes things to bits, breaking and pulverizing, it will bust up the previous kingdoms. Its appearance caused alarm. Thou art this head of gold. The words of Daniel which applied to the beasts now found application to them. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More. In Dan. God is able to raise up kings and put them down. Print. He had asked to see the king (v. 15-17). He raises up kings and also brings them down. There is fairly strong inferential evidence that Nebuchadnezzar was represented by the first beast, the winged lion. Daniel 5 is an illustration and a prototype of what will happen in the end times, as described in the prophecy of Daniel 7. It seems that Daniel was not only wise, but an excellent statesman. Interpretation But the stone that hit the statue became a huge mountain, dominating the horizon. There are three main components to the dream. (5) Above all, the prophecy in this chapter means precisely what God says it means in this text, nothing more and nothing less. The beasts are hardly worthy of prose, but the court of heaven deserves a description of the finest words. Just so, Christs suffering and glory is but a part of one coming. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time. (2) The prophecies of Daniel must be understood in relationship to and in light of the other prophecies of Daniel. And now youve shown us what we asked for. 2:34 You were watching as a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. The fact that wicked men will prosper and prevail and that the righteous will suffer is hardly pleasant news. Having gained an appreciation for Daniel and his three Hebrew friends, over a period he came to faith in their God. The king said to Daniel, Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.. The events seen by Daniel in chapter seven would signal the establishment of the everlasting kingdom which Daniel described in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Nebuchadnezzar then acknowledges the supremacy of Daniel's God and raises him to high office in Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar has a dream of a huge tree. God of all my ancestors, all thanks! He features in the Bible, specifically the (10) What effect did the vision have on Daniel, and why? Their perception is wrong, for suddenly and without warning their day of destruction will come upon them. Nebuchadnezzars Dream Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar's Dream - Adventist.org God would strike him down suddenly too and bring his kingdom to a swift end. Holiness Things are not as they appear to be! The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.. 80 During my school teaching days, I tried to make my students think I had eyes in the back of my head so that no matter what they did--even if my back was turned--they could not escape my all-seeing eyes or my discipline. Daniels interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzars dream reveals the giant statue represents a succession of earthly rulers. We provide the highest quality of service and utmost personalized level of support to our clients. Peterson, Eugene H. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. (1) Prophecy is necessary because God has chosen to settle His accounts with men slowly. Daniels appointment as chief over all Babylonias wise men sets the stage for conflict. One of the more famous kings of ancient Babylon, ruling for over 40 years, from about 605 BC to 562 BC. WebDaniel and his friends complete their three years of learning. Finally, Nebuchadnezzars dream may not be a literal, complete history of the world but rather, a synopsis representing a series of earthly civilizations who will ultimately fall before being assimilated under the rule of God. 145:13. (4) This is the first prophecy in the book revealed directly to Daniel. The wicked will prosper and appear to get away with their opposition toward God and His saints. At the outset of the account of his vision, Daniel wants his reader to know the historical context in which this prophecy was given and to consider its interpretation and application in the light of that context. The third beast is leopard-like, with four wings and four heads, and it is given dominion. He distinguishes himself by his ability to overcome the whole earth, crushing it under foot. The precise meaning of the symbols of the raised side and the three ribs is illusive. While most prophecies in the Bible reveal events which will take place after the death of the recipient of the prophecy, the prophecy is revealed for impact upon those to whom it was revealed. (3) This chapter contains the major segment of Daniel, which is primarily prophetic, although it does not contain the first prophecy in the Book of Daniel. Interpretation of Nebuchadnezzars Dream: The Final Kingdom In our last two studies in Daniel 2, we have discovered that Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar about his dream. Daniel 2 Daniel uses the expression Son of man twice. 4:5), he knew his future (cf. He has put you in charge of men and women, wild animals and birds, all over the worldyoure the head ruler, you are the head of gold. When He came with His kingdom, they would be sure to recognize Him (24:27). [24] Daniel 2:2023 emphasizes the Divine as a repository of wisdom and the controller of the destiny of kings; such hymns and prayers are typical of postexilic biblical narratives. Who is the Son of Man? He ordered the offering of sacrifices and burning of incense in Daniels honor. We should note Daniels distress in chapter 7 before turning to the other prophecies in Daniel, where we will find that prophecy very often produces distress. Dan. Bible Class on Daniel 2:31-45 | Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar's There seems to be a close connection between the vision of Nebuchadnezzar, which is revealed and interpreted in chapter 2, and the vision of Daniel in chapter 7. Just like iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything, and as iron breaks in pieces all of these metals, so it will break in pieces and crush the others. Jesus tests the Pharisees Whose Son is the Messiah? he imparts knowledge to those with understanding; 2:23 O God of my fathers, I acknowledge and glorify you. The statue is cast with four different metals the head is gold, the chest and arms are silver, the belly and thighs are bronze, and the legs are iron. Was King Nebuchadnezzar? The Beginners Guide And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. Editing allows an author to set aside details which are not significant and focus on the essence of the message he is trying to communicate. The second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, according to the Babylonian system of reckoning, would begin March/April 603 BC. So Nebuchadnezzar's dream would have occurred before Daniel and his friends had even completed their three-year training program as "wise men," which (presumably) began in 605 BC or a bit later. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all, you are this head of gold. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises others. The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. Since the head of gold seems to describe the same king and kingdom as the first beast, it may not be too far afield to conclude that Nebuchadnezzar is the king represented by the first beast. In spite of all these beasts do and say, in spite of their power and even their success, neither they nor their kingdoms will last. The vision plays on before Daniel, almost as though in answer to his desire to know more. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. 10 If any one is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if any one kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Even those portions which we believe have been fulfilled, students of prophecy differ about the way of their fulfillment. That night his life and his kingdom came to an end. These are the things Daniel sees in the vision. Within this view, the arrival of the kingdom of God (the rock) is symbolic for the arrival of Jesus. Chapter 2. 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. A look through the Scriptures shows that Daniels response to the prophecies he received was not unique. 27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king.
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