Today, I am reading and commenting on  Daniel 7-8.

When I was younger these two visions were among my favorite passages in the Bible.  I felt that as the events described came to pass we would see how they predicted the future.  I still believe that they describe a time in Daniel’s future, but now I think their meaning for us is more complicated than demonstrating God’s ability to reveal the future.  Which means I find them challenging to write about.  Today I want to write about the first vision.  There are four beasts mentioned and their descriptions seem bizarre.  The first one is described as a winged lion, which has its wings torn off, is stood up like a human and given a human mind.  The second looks like a bear, but is raised up on one side.  Then we are told it has three ribs between its teeth.  I have always assumed that to mean that it has the ribs of some animal in its mouth that it is chewing on, but it struck me today that perhaps they were supposed to be thought of like baleen in the mouth of a baleen whale (if you don’t know what I mean, go look up baleen whales).  Even without the ribs part I have trouble forming a picture of this beast in my mind (what does it mean by “raised up on one of its sides”).  The third beast looks like a leopard with four bird wings and four heads.  That is a strange look, but at least one that I can fully imagine in my head.  The final beast I always imagine as looking something like a tunnel boring machine.  Although, I struggle with the ten horns.  I wonder if we were intended to be able to visualize these beasts, or if it was more to just metaphorically compare them? (kind of a lion, kind of a bear, kind of a leopard, and some kind of monstrous mechanical beast).

Now, I have typically seen these four beasts compared to empires which existed sequentially.  The winged lion was seen as the Babylonian empire, the bear as the Persian empire, the leopard as the Hellenistic empires (Alexander the Great and the four empires built by his successors), the fourth beast as the Roman empire.  The problem is that when the fourth beast is destroyed the other three are allowed to live for a time after that, although stripped of their power.  The only part of the understanding of this vision which I grew up with which fits my understanding today is that Jesus’ kingdom represents the end of the rule of these four beasts.  I was hoping that as I wrote the above I would develop some further insight into the meanings of these four beasts, but that did not happen.  The only thing which I have to add at this point is that each of these beasts are supposed to give us insight into living in this world and our tendency to focus solely on the fourth beast interferes with us fully comprehending the meaning of this vision.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Daniel 7-8.

Today’s passage contains two visions about the future which Daniel experienced before the fall of Babylon.  Both visions are similar.  They both present the world powers as animal like beings.  They both end with a small horn which grows out of one of the other horns and which exhibits great arrogance.  The small horn in both visions sets itself up against God and His holy people.  Finally, both visions end with the small horn being overthrown by the power of God.  These visions may be alternative views about the final days of this earth, but I wonder if we might not take another lesson from them.  In both visions, governments rise to power, only to be overthrown by other human agencies.  Then in both visions, “someone” raises themselves up as a challenge to God and persecutes those who seek to continue to serve Him.  But, not only does this “someone” persecute those who serve God, but terrorizes the whole earth.  Finally, this “someone” is overthrown, but not by any human agency.  They are overthrown by the power of God.  I think we see in this that at times in history, individuals, or governments, will exercise great power over the earth such that many will suffer, but especially those who serve God.  People will desire to overthrow these oppressors, and may even attempt to do so.  However, these oppressors will deal with all such revolts brutally and remain in power.  Then, out of nowhere that the human perspective can understand, a Power will arise and bring them down.  In the interpretation of the first vision we are told that “one like a human being” (the translation says “son of man” rather than human, but the translation notes say that the best translation of the Hebrew would be human being and that they used “son of man” because of its use in the New Testament in reference to this passage) would rise up and be given power over the earth by the Ancient of Days.  The kingdom of the being “like a human being” would be everlasting.  So, when it seems like powers have arisen which cannot be opposed, but which stand in opposition to God, Christ has been given power to bring them down, and He will do so.  These visions tell us that no matter how bad things seem, God is in control and will come to the aid of His people.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Daniel 7-8.

My lovely wife married me 22 years ago on the 23rd of this month.  So I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary every day from now until then.

Happy Anniversary, Darling!

Today’s passage contains Daniel’s vision of four beasts and his vision of the ram and the goat.  Traditionally, the four beasts are understood to be the same empires as those in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream which Daniel interpreted at the beginning of this book.  According to that interpretation, the beast like a lion is Babylon, the beast like a bear is Persia, the beast like a leopard with four heads is the Greek empire(s) established by Alexander, and the fourth beast would be the Roman empire (there is some debate about the fourth empire).  I am not convinced of this interpretation because when the fourth beast is slain and destroyed the other three are allowed to live for some time after that. It reads to me as if all four beasts existed at the same time.  I am not sure that the traditional interpretation is not correct, it just seems to me that it misses something.  I cannot, however, come up with a better interpretation.  What I do see in this vision is that someone who was “like a human being” (see translation notes) came before the throne of the Ancient of Days and was given authority and power over all of the earth in place of the four beasts.  I read the wording of the vision to suggest that the four beasts had incomplete authority over the earth, but that the One who was to come would have, does have, complete authority.  The various governments which arise over different parts of the world have authority for a time, but that authority is limited in scope.  While Jesus has authority for eternity and His authority is not limited in scope.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Daniel 7-8.

We usually interpret Daniel’s two visions in today’s passage together, and there is some merit to doing so.  However, they are separate visions, with separate interpretations provided in the passage, for a reason.  So, I am going to look at these two visions separately. In the interpretation of the vision we are told both that the four beasts are four kings and that the fourth beast is a fourth kingdom.  I am unsure if this represents two different things, or if the writer was just using “king” and “kingdom” interchangeably.  I will note that I have had dreams where things in the dream make that kind of transition: when they first appear they are one kind of thing, but later in the dream they are something else with no point in the dream where they change, I just knew they were one thing and now I know they are something else.  More importantly, we have the horn which overthrew the three other horns.  Both in the vision and in the interpretation we can see it as a ruler who claims power over God’s people while denying God’s power.  Yet, the rise of such a ruler presages God sitting in judgement over the world.  When a ruler or government ruler or government puts itself in the place of God, we should look for the great work which God is about to do.  I am not referring to where the government tries to co-opt the worship of God in support of its agenda and plans.  This refers to those times when the government seeks to replace worship of God with its own rites and rituals.  I intended to write something about the vision of the ram and the goat, but this has gone too long already.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

In the year 2000, on the 23rd day of this month, my wife married me.  So here we are on day 14 of the 20 days that I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary for 20 years of marriage.  Happy Anniversary Darling!

Today, I am reading and commenting on Daniel 7-8.

Every time I read this I try to understand how the four beasts of the first vision and the ram and the goat in the second vision relate to us, or exactly how they fit with history as we know it.  I have never been able to accomplish either.  I know from the passage that the ram in the second vision is the Persian Empire and the goat is the Greek Empire founded by Alexander the Great.  I understand that the small horn which grew out of one of the four larger horns represent Antiochus Euripides, who tried to eliminate Judaism during his reign.  I see the similarities between the account of the fourth beast in the first vision and the one representing Antiochus Euripides in the second vision, but there are also inconsistencies between the two visions.  There are elements of the first vision which suggest that the fourth beast is the Roman Empire, which would resolve the inconsistencies and suggest that one of the Roman Emperors behaved similarly to Antiochus Euripides.  You can certainly make a case for that interpretation of the first vision.  In any event, the key element of the first vision is that the four beast kingdoms will be overthrown and replaced by the Kingdom of God.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Daniel 7-8.

I have from time to time tried to interpret what today’s passage means about the times which were the future for Daniel.  All but the end of the second vision is pretty clear because Gabriel’s explanation fits well into history as we know it.  The Persian Empire dominated that part of the world until the rise of Alexander the Great.  Alexander the Great replaced them and exerted even greater dominance.  Upon his sudden death, his empire was split into four parts.  Many of those who have read this vision have believed that the “small horn whose paoer grew very great” was Antiochus Epiphanes.  However, the record of his reign is not entirely consistent with the way I read the description given in this vision of that king.  And I have not heard any explanation which, in my mind, matches up the “2,300 evenings and mornings” described at the end of the vision.

I have even less understanding about how the first vision fits into history, but I do believe it represents events which happened between Daniel’s time and our own (although I would not be shocked to discover that I was mistaken).  Even the explanation of the vision which Daniel is given fails to add much clarity.  The four beasts represent four kingdoms, the last to arise being the most powerful.  Part of what makes it difficult for me to fit into history is that the first three kingdoms have their authority taken away, but remain alive after that for some amount of time.  The only part of the visions whose meaning is clear to me is that the “son of man” will be given authority over all of the nations of the world.