In Daniel Chapter 2 Nebuchadnezar had a prophetic dream. Now in Daniel
Chapter 7 Daniel has a similar prophetic dream. I will assume that it is a "dream"
due to it's discription as a "vision by night"



7:2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

Starting at Daniel 7:2


Now we need to pay close attention to these four great beasts

NOTE:Daniel 7:17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.


7:4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
Looking into history we see that the "Winged Lion" was a symbol for Babylon.

The Lion and even the Winged lion can be found on Babylonian art and incorporated into it's architecture. It is apostate in that it mocks the LION of JUDAH which is Jesus Christ our Risen Savior. Remember the Statue from Chapter 2? Just as the Head of Gold Represented Nebuchadnezar's Babylon, the Eagle Winged Lion also represents that retched nation. The Lion was stripped of its wings and powerful nature, and given in return the attributes of a man which, in terms of raw power, is much weaker. Hence the loss of powerful stature when the Kingdom of Babylon gave way to merry making and festivities,(DAN 5) left the gates of the Euphrates river open, and were over run by Cyrus, Darius and the joint Medo-Persian empire.

NOTE: In Daniel 4:33 Nebuchadnezzar was changed into a beast with EAGLES FEATHERS by the Almighty God.

Note: The Conqouring of babylon by Cyrus was Prophetically fortold in Isaiah 45:1-3


7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
The next Beast like to a bear

This next beast represents an empire, just as the first beast represented an empire. Cyrus and Darius lead the Medo-Persian Empire into victory over the Babylonian empire only because God allowed it to be. Darius, the leader of the Medes died one year after the capture of Babylon, leaving only Cyrus the leader of Persia. Here we have the understanding of "raised up itself on one side." This was the uneven surge of power to one side due to the death of Darius. There were three kingdoms which the Medo-Persian Empire Crushed between it's Bear like jaws. They were Lydia (546 B.C.), the Chaldeans (539 B.C.) and Egypt (525 B.C.). Now we have the unveiling of the "three ribs."

THE BEAR IS THE SILVER CHEST AND ARMS OF CH 2

NOTE: Isaiah 45:1-3 Thus saith the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loosen the loins of kings, to open before him the two unleaven gates; and the gates shall not be shut. I will go before thee and make the crooked ways straight; and I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut asunder the bars of iron. And I will give thee treasures of darkness and riches of secret places that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, that calleth thee by name, am the God of Israel."

NOTE: Darius was a Mede
Dan 11:1 Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him.
Cyrus was a Persian
Dan 6:28 "So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian."


7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
The next Beast like a leopard

In 331 BC Alexander the Great lead Greece to defeate Darius the Persian king (Not Darius the Mede) in the battle of Gaugamela. It was Alexanders great speed in conquering the previous world power that we see represented in the leopard.The Cheeta, also a leopard, is the fastest land animal. A mear 10 years after the defeate of persian king Darius(333 B.C.), Alexander died.(323 B.C.). This beast had four heads. The empire was divided between the four heads of Alexanders army. These were Alexander's four generals: Cassander, Seleucius Nicanor, Ptolemy, and Lysimachus. Thus we have the four heads of the beast. The four division of the empire that the four generals rode apon were the four wings. Cassander's division was Macedonia, Greece and Epirus, Lysimachu's division was Thrace and Bythinia, Ptolemy's division was Egypt, Libia, Coelosyria, Palestine and Arabia, and Seleucu's division was Syria.

THE LEOPARD IS THE BRASS BELLY AND THIGHS OF CH 2

Note: Alexander defeated Darius the Persian king. Darius the Persian Ruled after Cyrus
Ezra 4:5 "And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia."


Dan 7 THE LITTLE HORN Comming Soon

7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. Notice that the description of the fourth Beast is in opposition to a description of a natural animal. This Beast is “dreadful and terrible” in description. Knowing that these beasts describe kingdoms and empires, we should now follow the consistent pattern laid out before us in Dan. Chapter 2 and also here in Dan. Chapter 7. That pattern leading us to search history for the next empire to arise after the Grecian empire. Thus we have ROME. Looking into Dan. Chapter 2 verse 40 we read:
“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.”
This beast in Dan. Chapter 7 “ had great iron teeth.” Rememberthat in 168 B.C. Rome chrushed the Grecian empire and ruled with a rod of iron for the next 644 YEARS!

THE FOURTH BEAST IS THE IRON LEGS OF CH 2

The prophecy continues with the description of the beast as “and it had ten horns." These ten horns are described last. Remember the ten toes in Dan. Chapter 2? They were “ part of potters' clay, and part of iron (vs. 41)” signifying that it contained elements of the iron Roman Empire mingled with another softer substance. The strength in the toes was attributed to the iron Roman empire. . “ 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. (vs. 42)”

THE TEN HORNES ARE THE TEN TOES OF CH 2

The vision of the statue in Dan. Chapter 2, was from head to ten toes. Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, the ten countries existing after the fall of the roman empire. Notice top to bottom oldest to most current. Now picture these four beasts in opposite stance. The oldest being on the bottom then each beast above the other. Why? In Dan. Chapter 2 we have a vision of the fall of the wicked empires explained as wicked statue. But here in Dan. Chapter 7 we have a description of the rise of the antichrist or opposition of Jesus Christ.


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