Visions: 4 beasts & The Ram and Goat
These two visions take place while Belshazzar is king. These are the kinds of chapters where some good commentaries can be helpful. There are historic events that may correspond to prophecy – events that fulfilled prophecy – that we simply don’t know about. I mean, how many of us could – off the tops of our heads – spout out a history of what went on in the Mediterranean world from 600BC to 1500AD?
Good commentators are highly trained people who spend YEARS studying and writing. They scour all the old records and know how to explain the original languages and then they boil all that information down and make it accessible.
You don’t have to agree with everything a commentator says. But they can be very helpful sources of information. You can access several of them for free here on blueletterbible.org.
Buckle up. This is gonna be a long one.
THE 4 BEASTS FROM THE SEA – Dan. 7
The 4 beasts from this vision correspond very strongly to the 4 metals in the Nebuchadnezzar’s dream statue in Daniel 2.
In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the 4 kingdoms appear to make the form of a man. In Daniel’s dream, they are beasts. It may be that from Nebuchadnezzar’s worldly perspective, the kingdoms of this world are great and that man is impressive. But Daniel seems to be seeing the same 4 kingdoms but perhaps from heaven’s perspective- as base and behaving like animals in their violence and claiming of territory.
The term “The Great Sea” is used for the Mediterranean and at one point or another, all four of the kingdoms in this vision controlled lands around it. “Sea” or “waters” are also used as a metaphor for peoples.
THE LION
“Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him.”
Daniel 4:16 ESV
This was the judgment on Nebuchadnezzar. And during the 7 years, the great wings of Babylon were plucked off. And at the end, he was raised back up to stand like a man and his reason (the mind of a man) was given to him. The lion is Babylon.
THE BEAR
The kingdom that followed Babylon was the Persian Achaemenid Empire. Professor A. R. Fausset says that the Hebrew text says that the bear “raised up one dominion” (rather than raised up “on one side”); and that this refers to how the Medes surrendered and joined the Persians in one coalition to conquer. He suggests that the 3 ribs in its mouth may refer to the first 3 kingdoms conquered by the Persians: Media, Lydia, and Babylon.
THE LEOPARD
The leopard has 4 wings which suggest swift flight, and also the cunning of the leopard to stalk and pounce. This was the Grecian Empire. Alexander the Great was indeed swift (only 6 years!) in his conquering of the Mediterranean world.
When Alexander died, the empire was divided into 4 kingdoms (4 heads):
- General Ptolemy I Soter – Egypt, also called the Ptolemaic Kingdom
- General Cassander – Mainland Greece
- Lysamachus (one of Alexander’s bodyguards) – Thrace & Asia Minor
- General Seleucus I Nicator – all of cenral Asian and the Middle East, also called “the Selucid Empire”
THE HORNED BEAST
In the progression of time, this is generally interpreted as the Roman Empire. It’s “iron teeth” correspond to the iron legs of the statue in Daniel 2. It’s also said to be different than any of the other beasts which is the same thing Daniel said about the 4th empire of iron in Daniel 2.
There are many factors connecting this 4th beast to the Roman Empire, but the commentator Matthew Henry explained another view of this beast that he was aware of:
“The learned are not agreed concerning this anonymous beast; some make it to be the Roman empire, which, when it was in its glory, comprehended ten kingdoms, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Britain, Sarmatia, Pannonia, Asia, Greece, and Egypt; and then the little horn which rose by the fall of three of the other horns (v. 8) they make to be the Turkish empire, which rose in the room of Asia, Greece, and Egypt. Others make this fourth beast to be the kingdom of Syria, the family of the Seleucidae, which was very cruel and oppressive to the people of the Jews, as we find in Josephus and the history of the Maccabees. And herein that empire was diverse from those which went before, that none of the preceding powers compelled the Jews to renounce their religion, but the kings of Syria did, and used them barbarously. Their armies and commanders were the great iron teeth with which they devoured and broke in pieces the people of God, and they trampled upon the residue of them. The ten horns are then supposed to be ten kings that reigned successively in Syria; and then the little horn is Antiochus Epiphanes, the last of the ten, who by one means or other undermined three of the kings, and got the government.” – Matthew Henry’s Commentary on dan. 7
In support of the “Seleucid view”, Daniel said that the 4th beast’s claws (the part which tore apart its victims) were made of bronze. Bronze was the metal associated with the Grecian Empire in Daniel 2. And the Seleucid Empire was thoroughly Greek.
Most of the text in Daniel is given to explanations of the horns, rather than the beast itself. There are 10 horns which many believe to correspond to the 10 toes of the statue in Daniel 2. Of particular interest is…
THE LITTLE HORN
😐 Ok. That’s just freaky.
I know. Just remember, we’re dealing with symbols, not actual talking horns.
😐 Yeah… that doesn’t help. Still scary.
The “little horn” is generally associated with the Antichrist. But I think it may have a dual application. The little horn might just typify the more immediate antichrist that the Jews would face: Antiochus Epiphanes. And Antiochus Epiphanes may be Antichrist version 1.0; a picture of a future global dominator and persecutor of the saints. So let’s learn a little about him.
Antiochus IV “Epiphanes” was a Greek king of the Seleucid Empire (mentioned above as one of the leopard heads). He went on a brutal campaign to force the Jews to adopt Greek culture (called “Hellenization”). He plundered the temple (the one built at the time of Ezra and Nehemiah). He killed or arrested the priests and stopped the sacrifices and the worship of Yahweh. He desecrated the temple by slaughtering pigs on the altar and splattering their blood everywhere. He also set up an idol to Zeus (purportedly sculpted to look like himself) and he made sacrifices to it. He arrested and even killed Jews caught reading scripture, circumcising their sons, or practicing any Jewish customs. Some of the Jews caved and went along. By the time of the NT they are known generally as the Sadducees. There were many who resisted, notably the priestly family of Matthias Maccabeus and his son Judah. They led the people in a revolt against the Seleucids called The Maccabean Revolt.
🤔 I don’t remember reading about any of that in the Bible.
That’s because it all happened in the 400 years between the end of the Old Testament and the start of the New Testament.
😲 There are 400 years between 2 pages?!
Yup. And a lot of very important history. When the Jews regained control of Jerusalem and cleansed the temple, that’s when the miracle occurred that led to the celebration of Hanukkah. 🕎
We’ll come back to Antiochus Epiphanes again before Daniel is over. Right now, I want to revisit some of the other ideas surrounding the horns of the 4th beast.
We considered in the post about Daniel 2, that the 10 toes were not a 5th kingdom but very much a part of the 4th kingdom, Rome. In that post we also noted how one of the chief characteristics of the Roman Empire was division. It was held together by force at the point of a Roman spear; which was called (ironically) the Pax Romana (the Roman Peace).
Matthew Henry mentioned the idea of the little horn being the Turkish (Ottoman) Empire. It was the empire that came after Rome and stood for over 600 years. This idea leads us to consider the Middle East of today and the march of Islam globally. The Ottoman Empire arose out of Islam and persecuted and attacked the Christian West.
Here’s a short (5min) but very helpful video on that bit of history that most of us don’t really know. Just wanted to put that option on your radar if it wasn’t already.
Back to other considerations of the horns…
If the 4th beast never really “went away” but passed into manifestation as 7-10 “horns” (authorities), perhaps we should consider the ways in which Rome and its ideas linger on in our current world.
Probably the most obvious inheritance of Greece and Rome to the world today are the ideas of democracy (rule of the people) and empire. Greece and Rome were the foundations of “Western Civilization.”
😐 Western UNcivilzation at times.
True. Particularly when men veered away from its ideals.
I found a very perceptive bit of commentary on this angle from A.R. Fausset in the Jamison, Fausset, and Brown commentary. It was a slant I have never before considered.
“The Roman civilization, church, language, and law are the chief elements in Germanic civilization. But the Romanic element seeks universal empire, while the Germanic seeks individualization. Hence the universal monarchies attempted by the Papacy, Charlemagne, Charles V, and Napoleon have failed, the iron not amalgamating with the clay.” – A. R. Fausset Commentary on Dan. 7
In our day, the terminology has shifted from “universal empire” and “individualization” to “globalist” vs “nationalist populist,” but the concepts are the same. And right now, the pendulum is in a definite swing toward national populism.
Globalism tends to partner with Socialism, Communism, Dictatorships and Oligarchies in state-heavy governance. Its nature is “universal empire.” It sees humans as cogs in the machine. Humans exist for the state. The State is central. People come and go. In this view, governance that puts the state ahead of the individual would be the IRON.
Populism or “Individualization” sees the state as existing for the humans. It is much more human-centered which is why it tends to partner with Capitalism, Democracy, and Republican forms of government. It is government “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” as Abraham Lincoln famously said.
America’s government was established to be like this. Just read this passage from the Declaration of Independence and see what the Founding Fathers believed about who had more authority – the people or the state:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
The rights do not come from the state. People create governments to protect the rights that are given by God. People-first government would be the CLAY. Humans are made of the dust of the ground and called “earthen vessels.”
And IRON and CLAY do not mix.
When it comes to interpreting Bible prophecy, my approach is to learn as much as I can and try to hold in my head all the various interpretations and watch the events of the world for possible matches. And I also tend to assume that a prophecy can potentially have more than one correct interpretation. Like how the prophecies of the destruction of Jerusalem (the OT “Day of the LORD”) applied not only to 586 BC, but also to the great and final day of Judgment.
One more thought from Professor Fausset about Daniel 7 and the fragmentation of society, and the contributions of Greece and Rome. (The “two Antichrists” he mentions refer to Antiochus Epiphanes and the future one)
“The deterioration politically corresponds: the first kingdom, an organic unity; the second, divided into Median and Persian; the third branches off into four; the fourth, into ten. The two eastern kingdoms are marked by nobler metals; the two western, by baser; individualization and division appear in the latter, and it is they which produce the two Antichrists.”
After dreaming of the beasts, Daniel’s dream changes.
“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. And to him was given dominion and glory and a 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.”
Daniel 7:13-14 ESV
There are only 2 times in the Bible when “one like a son of man” is coming on the clouds.
- The Ascension of Christ
- The Return of Christ
And since in this instance He is coming INTO heaven and “presented” before the Ancient of Days, I would connect what Daniel is seeing to the Ascension.
It’s as if Daniel 7:13 picks up where Acts 1:9 left off and we see what happened in the heavens after Jesus vanished from the sight of the disciples.
🤔 Does that mean that Daniel… 😲 travelled into the future?!
🤔 Do you suppose he had a DeLorean?
I don’t think God needs a DeLorean or 1.21 Gigawatts. Maybe Daniel saw the future without traveling? I dunno. But I DO know it’s important how we think about time and not get too stuck in linear, clock-bound thinking.
“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
2 Peter 3:8 ESV
“For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.”
Psalm 90:4 ESV
The beasts in the dream appear in quick succession though it took many centuries for all of it to unfold on earth. People who were living in the middle of it probably didn’t know. We have no idea how time is perceived in heaven, if it is perceived at all.
We could be living in the middle of prophecy unfolding very slowly right now and might not even see it. Some things are SO large they are impossible to perceive up close.
For example…
😯 Wait… people were making giant pictures that can only be seen from the air… in 500BC?
Yes. But if you’re curious you’ll have to Google it yourself. This post is already in danger of breaking the scale.
I think Bible Prophecy might be a bit like walking across a giant painting. So we ask the Lord for wisdom and the ability to perceive what He has revealed in perhaps encoded ways.
🤔 Like how Daniel could read the coded writing on the wall.
Precisely.
THE RAM AND THE GOAT – Dan. 8
🐏 🐐
I don’t think this vision is where the idea of calling someone “the G.O.AT.” (Greatest Of All Time) came from, but maybe it should have.
In this vision there is a Ram 🐏 which represents the Achaemenid Empire. It has one horn that is bigger than the other (the Persians being stronger than their partners the Medes). This Ram is attacked by a goat 🐐 with a single horn. The goat is traveling so fast it doesn’t touch the ground.
😐 A flying unicorn goat? You’re not serious.
Well. Yes. That’s basically what it is.
😐 No wonder people struggle to understand Daniel.
The flying unicorn goat is Alexander the Great, the OG G.O.A.T. He conquered the whole Mediterranean world by age 30.
When Alexander died the empire was divided into 4 as we saw above with the 4-headed leopard, hence the goat growing 4 horns in place of the one that broke off.
And then, from one of those horns (the Seleucid Empire, 8:9), came a little horn who takes away the daily sacrifice and overthrows the sanctuary.
It’s very tempting to imagine that all this stuff about the little horn is yet future. I think that tends to come from not knowing history. With the explanation given by Gabriel and the historical accounts in the books of the Maccabees and elsewhere, we can be quite confident that the little horn showed up and did all the things God said he would do. In fact, it’s so accurate that modern critical scholars say Daniel was written after it all happened because there’s no way anyone could know the future so accurately.
Calling a king of one of the 4 post-Alexander kingdoms “a little horn” tracks with “the little horn” from the previous vision so perfectly that it points clearly to Antiochus Epiphanes as the identity of “the little horn.” However… if the “little horn” on the goat and the “little horn” on the 4th beast with iron teeth are totally one and the same (Antiochus Epiphanes), then that would mean that the 4th beast is not Rome but the Seleucid Empire (which was nothing to sneeze at!)
The fact that we have TWO “little horns” not one, is something we need to work at. Are they pointing to the same figure or different people? If they’re the same, then we have to re-think our understanding of the 4th beast and its 10 horns.
If they are different, might Antiochus (as a “little horn”) be a picture of a future Antichrist (possibly also referred to as a “little horn)? Yup. You betcha. So we would do well to learn this history so that if it begins to repeat itself, we’ll notice it.
The bit about this little horn attacking the host of heaven and trampling on the stars always made me imagine some kind of supernatural attack on the angels or something. (And who knows, maybe it has a dual meaning and the future Man of Sin will launch an attack in both the physical and spiritual realms) But, if God’s people are considered part of “the heavenly host” then it is true that Antiochus threw many of them down (had them killed). And he certainly “cast truth to the ground” when he outlawed the scripture and, (in a rather Nazi fashion) ordered any copies to be destroyed.
As to God’s people being referenced in star-language, we have Abraham’s descendants numbered like the stars and later in Daniel:
“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
Daniel 12:3 ESV
It’s SUPER cool that the angel Gabriel shows up in this vision. We often think he only appears to Zechariah and Mary in the Christmas story. Nope. Here he is helping Daniel out 500 years before that.
Gabriel tells him that it will be 2300 “evenings and mornings” from the start to when the sanctuary is restored. History records Antiochus defiling the temple in 167 BC and it was restored in 164 BC, though the Maccabean Revolt lasted about 33 years. From 167 to 164 is not 2300 days. Here’s what Matthew Henry wrote about that:
“Some make the morning and the evening, in this number, to stand for two, and then 2300 evenings and as many mornings will make but 1150 days; and about so many days it was that the daily sacrifice was interrupted: and this comes nearer to the computation (ch. 7:25) of a time, times,and the dividing of a time. But it is less forced to understand them of so many natural days; 2300 days make six years and three months, and about eighteen days; and just so long they reckon from the defection of the people, procured by Menelaus the high priest in the 142nd year of the kingdom of the Seleucids, the sixth month of that year, and the 6th day of the month (so Josephus dates it), to the cleansing of the sanctuary, and the reestablishment of religion among them, which was in the 148th year, the 9th month, and the 25th day of the month, 1 Mac. 4:52.”
Heaven’s math is always right.
😐 Poor Daniel. That’s a lot of unpleasant future history to take in. No wonder he felt sick and confused.
Right. If we put ourselves in his place and see things from his perspective – an exiled Jewish man whose country is no more… And then we’re told that the empire we work for is going to collapse and another will follow and another and another… And along the way somehow A NEW TEMPLE WILL BE BUILT!! Wowsers! How on earth?! And then it will be desecrated and trashed AGAIN? And the Holy people of God will be attacked and killed… AGAIN? No!
This vision confirms the sequence of kingdoms revealed in the dream of the 4 beasts. And it sets Daniel on a quest – to try to learn where they were on heaven’s timeline. And in the next chapter, he figures it out.
To The Reader 