Daniel 7

God, our Friend in Court

 Daniel 7
 This is another prophetic vision from God
 It was given in 553 B.C. – 50 years after the
vision of Daniel 2; Daniel was about 70
years old at this time
 Nebuchadnezzar had been dead for about 9
years now; Babylon was steadily declining
in greatness and power
 Chapters 5 and 6 were still in the future
 Daniel 7
 Daniel sees a “great sea” being stirred by a
great wind
 Then four beasts come out of the sea: lion,
bear, leopard, “terrible” beast, then a
strange, little “horn”, and at last, a great
judgment scene where the Ancient of Days
opens some books and judges the former
horn and beasts, then receives the kingdom
Himself
 Daniel 7
 Lion:
-It had wings
-The wings were
eventually plucked off
-The mind of a man was
given to it
-It stood upright
 Daniel 7
 Bear:
-One side was higher
than the other
-Had three ribs in its
mouth
-Was told “Devour
much flesh!”
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 Leopard:
-Had four heads
-Had four wings
-Dominion was
given to it
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 Fourth beast:
-Looked terrible
-Had iron teeth
-Broke everything to
pieces
-Different from all the
other beasts
-Had ten horns
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 Little horn:
-Plucked up three of the the former horns
-Had eyes like the eyes of a man
-A mouth that spoke “great” things
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 Judgment scene:
-Ancient of days sat on his
throne
-Has white clothes, hair like
wool
-Fire comes from Him
-Thousands serve Him
-Books are opened
-Judgment is given to former
beasts and horn
-Kingdom is given to a “son of
man”
 Daniel 7
 Daniel is troubled by
the vision and asks
what it means
 The four great beasts =
four kings
 Saints of the Most High
shall receive the
kingdom and possess it
forever and forever (v.
15-18)
 Daniel 7
 Lion – who is it?
 Babylon
 They even used lions to
depict their kingdom – still
statues to this day of lions in
present-day Babylon
 Heart of a man – the story of
Nebuchadnezzar – chapter 4
 Wings – had a very fast
cavalry
 Daniel 7
 Bear – who is it?
 Medo-Persia
 Lopsided – Persia
was more powerful
than the Medes
 3 ribs in mouth – it
conquered Lydia,
Egypt and Babylon
to rule the world
 Daniel 7
 Four headed leopard –
who is it?
 Greece
 Wings – denotes speed.
Alexander the Great
conquered the world and
died at the age of 32!
 Four heads – after
Alexander’s death his four
generals: Cassander,
Lysimachus, Ptolemy,
Seleucus divided up his
kingdom
 Daniel 7
 Terrible beast – who is it?
 Rome
 Ten horns – ten tribes
which we already covered
in chapter 2
 Terrible appearance – the
cruelty of the Romans in
conquering other nations
 Daniel even wanted a
greater explanation of this
power
 Little Horn – who is it?
Eight identifying marks:
1. Rose out of the fourth beast (8,24)
2. Appeared after 10 horns (24)
3. It started small, but rose to be bigger than
its fellows (8,20)
4. It was to put down three kings, so that
three of the first horns were plucked up by
the roots (8,24)
 Little Horn – who is it?
5. It had eyes like the eyes of a man, and a
mouth speaking great things and it spoke
words against the Most High (8,25)
6. It was to wear out the saints of the Most
High (25)
7. It was to think to change the times and the
law (25)
8. It was allotted special powers for a time,
two times and half a time (25)
 What power came after these
tribes?
After Rome, 10 tribes divided up the western
Roman empire and became present-day
Europe:
1. Ostrogoths 6. Visigoths
2. Franks 7. Vandals
3. Suevi 8. Alamanni
4. Anglo-Saxon 9. Heruli
5. Lombards 10. Burgundians
What power rose out of Europe?
 Western Christianity
 History of Christianity
 The Roman empire gradually gave way to
Christianity
 Constantine (306-337) – moved the capital of the
empire from Rome to Constantinople – this added
greatly to the stature of the Roman bishop there –
made the Roman empire Christian
 After 376 A.D. – the 10 tribes invaded the empire
and weakened it – however, they were Arians, not
Catholic (Jesus was not “God” – He was a created
being)
 History of the Church
 487 A.D. – Catholic emperor Zeno signs a treaty with
the Ostrogoths which resulted in 493 A.D. of the
eradication of the Heruls (Arians)
 Christian emperor Justinian exterminated in 534 A.D.
the Arian Vandals and significantly broke the power
of the Arian Ostrogoths (who had overtaken Rome)
when in 537 his army conquered them and overtook
Rome
 Three horns were uprooted: Heruls, Vandals and
Ostrogoths
 538 A.D. – a Christian bishop was appointed in Rome
 Time, times, half a time
 7 times mentioned in Bible (Dan. & Rev.)
 Time = year
 1 time + 2 times + ½ time = 3 ½ years
 Year = 354 days – 380 days
 360 days = year
 1260 years (1260 days or 42 months – 42 x
30 days = 1260 days)
 One day = one year in prophecy (Ezek. 4:6)
 1260 years – fulfilled or not?
 1798 – French general
Berthier, under the direction of
the military government of
France, arrested Pope Pius VI
as he celebrated the
anniversary of his coronation
in the Sistine chapel. They
exiled him to an island in the
hopes of exterminating the
Catholic church. He died on
the island
 538-1798 – 1260 years
 Speaking “great things” and
greater than its fellows?
 After 538 A.D. there
were many battles for
power and supremacy
in Europe, but as
most historians
recognize the Roman
Empire gave way to
the Roman Catholic
Church
 Examples of “great things”
 1076- Pope Gregory VII informed Henry
V’s subjects that if he doesn’t repent of his
sins that they don’t need to obey him
 Henry made a pilgramage to Canossa in the
Alps where Gregory was. He waited three
days, barefoot in the snow until Pope
Gregory forgave him.
 1570 – Pius V forbids all subjects of Queen
Elizabeth I of England to obey her
 Examples of “great things”?
 January 10, 1890, Leo VIII asserts, that the
“Supreme teacher is the Roman Pontiff…”
therefore, we need to have, “complete submission
and obedience to the will of the Church and to the
Roman Pontiff, as to God Himself.”
 Pope Julius II, Fifth Lateran Council, 1512 –
Julius was called “another God on earth”.
 Official position of the Roman Catholic church:
the popes hold “the place of God Almighty on
earth.”
 Wear out the saints?
 Catholic records admit that the
church killed 3000 to 4000
French Huguenots and 2000
Protestants in the Netherlands
 Non-Catholic historians
estimate between the crusades,
30 years War (1618-1648),
Albigenses, Waldenses,
Inquisition and other wars –
from 8 million to 100 million
people died at the hands of the
Christian Church
 Wear out the saints?
 Methods of torture and killing that the church used:
-Burned people at the stake
-Stuffed people in sacks and drowned them
-Beat people to death
-Hung them in mid-air for weeks
-Hands tied behind back, then have them raised until
shoulder blades pop out
12th century AD – torture became accepted in church
courts
Think to change times and laws?
 1400 – Petrus de Ancharano- “the pope can
modify divine law, since his power is not of
men, but of God.”
 Martin Luther (16th century) – the Bible and
the Bible only as a rule of concience
Think to change times and laws?
 Johann Eck, Catholic
theologian, taunted Luther
- Scripture teaches to
observe the seventh day as
Sabbath but you and your
followers worship on
Sunday. When in reality
the church has changed the
Sabbath to Sunday – not
the Bible!
Think to change times and laws?
 1957 – Catholic Catechism for Doctrine
 Question: Which is the Sabbath day?
 Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath day.
 Question: Why do we observe Sunday
instead of Saturday?
 Answer: We observe Sunday instead of
Saturday because the Catholic Church
transferred the solemnity from Saturday to
Sunday.
Think to change times and laws?
 1893 – The Christian
Sabbath, “The Catholic
church for over one
thousand years before the
existence of a Protestant,
by virtue of her Divine
mission, changed the day
from Saturday to Sunda
y.”
Think to change times and laws?
 Where did Sunday
observance actually
come from? Constantine
on March 7, 321 AD
issued a law forcing
everyone in the kingdom
to rest on Sunday (since
they had all been sun
worshippers – it was
easier for them)
 8 Identifying marks
1. Rose out of fourth beast (Rome)
2. Came after ten horns appeared
3. Little at first, but rose greater than others
4. Put down three kings
5. Eyes like a man, but spoke great things against
God
6. Persecuted the saints of God
7. Changed “times and the law” of God
8. Ruled for 1260 years (538-1798)
 Judgment
 Daniel saw how God
would set up a judgment
at the end of this time:
-Power would be taken
away from the “little hor
n” and given to a “son of
man”
-The kingdom will also be
given to the saints of the
Most High
 Who is this son of man?
 Matthew 26:64,
“After this you will
see the Son of man
seated at the right
hand of Power, and
coming on the clouds
of Heaven.”
 It is Jesus at the
second coming
 What does Jesus do in the
judgment?
 I John 2:1 – He is our
advocate
 1 Tim. 2:5 – He is our
mediator
 Hebrews 7:25 – He
makes intercession
for us
 Is God cruel?
 John 3:16 – God
loves us
 John 16:26,27 –
Jesus does not
always pray for us –
“For the Father
Himself loves you”.
 Will there be a judgment?
 Romans 14:10 – We shall all stand before
the judgment seat of God.
 2 Cor. 5:10 – We shall all stand before the
judgment seat of Christ
 Acts 17:31 – God will judge the whole
world, by Christ
 What books were opened?
 Revelation 20:12-15 –
books are also opened and
the dead are judged based
on what they have done
 Malachi 3:16 – refers to a
“book of rememberance” –
which is written about
those who feared the Lord
and thought on His name.”
 What is the basis of judgment?
 Ecclesiastes 12:13,14,
“Fear God and keep His
commandments; for this
is the whole duty of
man. For God will bring
every deed into
judgment, with every
secret thing, whether
good or evil.”
 Review
 Lion – Babylon
 Bear – Medo-Persia
 Leopard – Greece
 Terrible beast – Rome
 Little horn – Roman Catholic Church
 Son of man receives kingdom – judgment
of God
 Next lesson
 Daniel 8
 When will this
judgment take
place?