Chapter Seven

1–8. Vision of the four beasts. 9–14. The divine judgment over them and the establishment of the Kingdom of God. 15–28. Interpretation of the vision by a heavenly being.

Daniel 7:1. In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and prophetic visions of his head upon his bed. Then he wrote down this dream, setting forth the substance of the matter. Like the dream of Nebuchadnezzar (ch. 2), the vision of ch. 7 unfolds the thought of the successive replacement of four earthly monarchies and the establishment, after divine judgment over them, of the eternal Kingdom of God. United in their fundamental thought, they differ primarily in the images that embody it. In the second chapter, these images are drawn from the realm of inanimate, material objects; in chapter seven, from the realm of living creatures. Such a distinction in images serves to express two unequal points of view concerning the Kingdom of God and earthly kingdoms. To the pagan Nebuchadnezzar, the power of the world was brilliant metal, while the Kingdom of God was nothing of consequence—a stone; earthly kingdoms appeared to him incomparably superior to the Kingdom of God. To Daniel, on the other hand, the superiority of the latter over the former is plain, and therefore it is depicted under the image of its Head—the Son of Man, while earthly kingdoms are shown as different beasts: man is higher than animal. Moreover, the vision of ch. 7 differs in its greater fullness, substance, and—though spoken of obscurely—tells of the destinies of the Kingdom of God connected with the appearance of the antichrist.

Daniel 7:2. Speaking, Daniel said: I saw in my night vision, and behold, four winds of heaven were contending upon the great sea. Daniel 7:3. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, unlike one another. In accordance with the words of verse 23 of this chapter Dan 7:23: “the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon the earth, different from all the kingdoms,” each of the four beasts seen by the prophet symbolizes a known kingdom. Their depiction as animals accords both with biblical Old Testament symbolism, in which leaders of wars, princes, supreme rulers of peoples are portrayed as animals Isa 34:6-8; Ezek 39:18, and with non-biblical symbolism. In the Zend Avesta, for example, the guardian spirit of the Persian kingdom is represented as a ram with sharp horns. The beasts come up out of the sea—kingdoms arise from the depths of the pagan world.

Daniel 7:4. The first was like a lion, and it had eagle’s wings. I watched until its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand upon its feet like a man; and a human heart was given to it. As the head among members and gold among metals Dan 2:32, so the lion, first among animals, and the eagle, first among birds, indicate the royal place of the first monarchy among the subsequent others. Among the prophets near in time to Daniel, the kingdom of Babylon is depicted under the symbol of the lion and the eagle Jer 2:15; Jer 4:7; Jer 5:6; Jer 48:40 and so on; Hab 1:8. Accordingly, the lion with eagle’s wings in Daniel’s vision also symbolizes the same monarchy. Mighty at first, it loses its original strength over time—the lion’s eagle wings are plucked off, and it is transformed into an ordinary human kingdom—the lion is given a human heart.

Daniel 7:5. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear, was standing on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told thus: “Rise, devour much meat! The symbol of the second kingdom is the bear. The savagery and voraciousness (“Rise, devour much meat!”) of this beast rather clearly point to the Medo-Persian monarchy that succeeded Babylon, insatiable, as history testifies, in its conquests. They began under Cyrus with the subjection of Bactria, small peoples of Asia Minor, who acknowledged the authority of Croesus the Lydian, Lydia, Greek Asia Minor colonies—Aeolia, Ionia and Babylon allied with Lydia—and continued under Cyrus’s son Cambyses with the conquest of Egypt and were completed under Darius Hystaspis and Xerxes, who extended Persian power over almost all the historical East Esth 1:1. The three ribs in the bear’s mouth point to Babylonia, Media, and Persia, united under the authority of Cyrus and his successors.

Daniel 7:6. After this I looked, and behold, another beast like a leopard, and it had four wings of a bird upon its back, and the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 1 Maccabees 1:1–4. The third kingdom is represented under the image of a leopard with four bird wings and four heads. The bloodthirst of this beast, its extraordinary swiftness in seizing prey, characterize quite precisely the swift Greek-Macedonian empire in its conquests. The empire spread to the ends of the earth under Alexander the Great (1 Mac. 1:1–4) owing not only to its might but also to its decisive, swift actions against enemies (for more detail on this, see the commentary on Dan 8:5-7). The Macedonian empire’s spread to all four quarters of the earth, its dominion “over regions and peoples and rulers,” “over all the earth” 1 Macc 1:3-4 is indicated in the vision by the four wings, while its division after the death of Alexander the Great into four parts—the kingdoms of Thrace, Macedonia, Syria, and Egypt—is indicated by the four heads. Daniel 7:7. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrible and dreadful and exceedingly strong; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet; it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. According to the words of the heavenly messenger of the prophet Daniel, the fourth beast signifies a kingdom different from all those preceding Dan 7:23. Its distinctive features consist in terrible all-crushing strength, symbolized by enormous iron teeth, and in outstanding greed for destruction, annihilation: “it devours and breaks in pieces, and stamps the residue with its feet.” Such an all-crushing, devouring kingdom that consumed all the earth Dan 7:23 and destroyed the obstacles standing in the way of dominion over the world was the Roman kingdom. This characteristic is noted already by ancient historians. Thus Herodian remarks “that there is no country under the heavenly vault to which the Romans did not extend their power.” Dionysius of Halicarnassus, comparing the Roman empire with previous ones, says: “The Chaldean, Persian, and Greek kingdoms—the most glorious of all those hitherto—but Rome extends its dominion over all lands and seas which are accessible to man. By its immense dominion it embraces all the East and all the West.” The ten horns on the head of the beast—ten kings Dan 7:24.

Daniel 7:8. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, and three of the first horns were plucked up before it; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. Like the first ten horns, the new horn that grew upon the head of the fourth beast also signifies a king, but one sharply different from the first. And indeed, if the human eyes and mouth speaking great things given to it indicate a human being of exceptional cunning—outstanding knowledge (cf. Gen 3:5), pride—the heavenly messenger’s explanations testify that these properties are pervaded by a character of exceptional godlessness. The eleventh horn will use its strength to wage war against the saints of the Most High, whom it will strike during a time, times, and half a time, attempting to abolish the festivals and law among them, while manifesting its haughtiness in proud words against the Most High Dan 7:21-25.

Daniel 7:9. I watched until thrones were placed and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, his wheels were burning fire. Daniel 7:10. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. The activity of the eleventh horn ends with judgment over it. The majestic appearance of the Judge—the Lord—the appearance of the Ancient One—testifies to the awe He inspires; the white garment clothing Him and hair pure as wool speak of His most perfect purity and holiness Isa 1:18. His holy zealousness is symbolized by the fiery appearance of the throne, while its action extending to all living things is symbolized by the river flowing from beneath the throne. Surrounded by innumerable hosts of Angels called to participate in judgment, the Judge takes his seat upon the throne, and “the books were opened,”—the deeds of the accused were revealed and examined, not hidden from God’s omniscience.

Daniel 7:11. I watched then because of the sound of the great words which the horn spoke; and I watched until the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. Daniel 7:12. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. The result of the judgment was the complete destruction of the godless force that was embodied in the fourth beast—it was slain, and its body was given to be burned with fire (cf. Isa 66:24). The first three beasts also lost their power. They perished earlier, each at the time appointed by God.

Daniel 7:13. I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. Daniel 7:14. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. The judgment over the fourth beast, contemplated by the prophet, culminated in the revelation of the universal, eternal and glorious Kingdom of the saints of the Most High Dan 7:27, presided over by the Son of Man. In the vision, He appears as a separate person from the assembly of the Most High. The latter was revealed earlier than His appearing: the eleventh horn wages war against the saints and overwhelms them until the Ancient of Days comes, passes judgment, after which the Son of Man appears on the clouds Dan 7:21-22. Second, He appears as a person of higher rank, for such is the meaning of the words: “coming with the clouds of heaven” Dan 7:13; cf. Ps 103:3; Isa 19:1; Nah 1:3; Matt 24:30; Rev 1:7. The godless activity of the eleventh horn, its duration and its fate are traced in Daniel’s vision not only similarly but entirely identically with the activity of the last and greatest enemy of the Christian Church—the antichrist. This latter also has a mouth speaking with pride and blasphemy, and is given power to wage war against the saints. “And he opened his mouth for blasphemy against God,... and it was allowed him to make war on the saints and to conquer them,” it is said in the Revelation Rev 13:6-7, but like the horn, he is cast “into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur” Rev 19:20. After the destruction of the 11th horn comes the revelation of the universal Kingdom of the saints. This gives grounds to understand the eleventh horn of the fourth beast as the antichrist. His death will be followed by the revelation of the kingdom of glory with the subjection to the Son of Man of peoples, tribes, and nations Dan 7:14. Likewise in the New Testament it is said that at the universal judgment and the revelation of the kingdom of the Word, every knee shall bow before Christ Rom 14:11. * * * Notes Properly speaking, wool (in Slavic) is sheep’s wool processed and bleached. Translator’s note.