As I explained in the last post, this chapter will be different than my usual course of study. I believe the entire chapter must be studied as a single unit. In my last post, I provided my translation of the entire chapter, so I will not be repeating it, but it is there for anyone’s interested perusal.
As I enter this study, first of all I want to repeat what I said back in chapter 2, that in my opinion these four kingdoms are obviously Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. I realize a lot of authors offer a lot of other interpretations, but I’m reminded of John Eadie’s words: “Interpretations are generally false in proportion to their ingenuity.” Once again, to me, "If the plain sense makes good sense, then why make any other sense?” Basically, what I’m trying to say is that I have no intention of spending much time even considering all the other “ingenious” interpretations which have been offered.
What is interesting to me is to consider the chapter from the perspective of what Daniel knew and didn’t know versus what we today know and don’t know. I’m sure it was obvious to Daniel that the first beast was Babylon, The Babylonians were commonly represented as a lion with wings (v.4) and the reference to its wings being torn off then standing up and being given the mind of a man is clearly referring to Nebuchadnezzar and his experience in chapter 4. One can only wonder if he was watching the rise of Medo-Persia and already had a pretty good idea they would be the bear raised up on one side (v.5). Beyond that, unless he was told more than he wrote down, he would probably not know that the leopard with four wings (v.6) would be Greece and the terrifying beast (v.7) would be Rome. Daniel was living in the kingdom of the very first beast and it is likely the entire rest of the vision would be dark and mysterious to him, even with the angels’ explanations.
For us who live in the 21st century, it is easy to see Medo-Persia in the bear lifted up on one side, since we look back and know that the Persians were the more powerful of the alliance. Then it is easy to see the leopard with four wings and know that was Alexander who literally flew from Greece to India conquering everything before him. Also, we know that upon his untimely death, his kingdom was divided between his four generals, explaining the beast’s four heads (v.6).
Then we would have no trouble seeing Rome in the terrifying beast with great iron teeth that stomps and destroys everything in its path. Rome couldn’t just conquer Carthage. Once they had breached the city wall, history tells us they killed everyone, then leveled the city itself. As we know, Rome was famous for the practice of crucifixion, one of the most cruel forms of execution ever devised by man. In the slave rebellion known as the Third Servile War (ca. 70 BC), they crucified something like 6,000 of the slaves lined for miles and miles along the Appian Way.
All of that may be obvious to us, but starting there, the mystery resumes for us as well. Somehow, Rome morphs into the ten kings (v.7 and 24). The European Union is clearly at least an embryonic version of this revived Roman Empire, but it is not yet in any way a union of ten kings. That is somehow yet future even for us. Then, of course, there is the little horn which will arise from the ten, displace three, then actually oppose God Himself. Adding on the further prophecies of Daniel and especially the book of Revelation, we know this horn to be none other than the AntiChrist. We don’t know how far away his actual reign will be, but everything is very quickly forming into the very world which the Bible describes embracing him.
Then there is Jesus. In v.13, Daniel introduces this one he calls “the Son of Man” who is introduced to the Ancient of Days, but then “given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped Him.” I do not doubt that to Daniel this person was obviously the promised Messiah of Gen. 3, "the Seed of the woman" who would "crush the head of the serpent." What intrigues me is how even this simple statement begins to reveal the Trinity. Clearly the Ancient of Days is God Himself, but then this Son of Man is being “worshiped.” One could dismiss that, since the word could be used of people’s obeisance to human kings, but then we note how in both v. 14 and v.27, we’re told His kingdom will be “everlasting dominion that will not pass away and a one that will never be destroyed.” In v.27, however, it is specifically the kingdom of “the Most High.” The “Son of Man” has become “the Most High,” clearly telling us that somehow the Messiah would be God Himself. How much of this Daniel understood, we don’t know, but certainly for us, on this side of the Cross, it is easy for us to read it all and see our Jesus in it.
Isn’t it interesting that, like Daniel, we’ve had this prophecy to read again and again, but, after some 2,500 years, we now see much of it as recorded history! Who could have possibly written a prophecy in 500 BC predicting the flow of human history from then until now – and got it right??? As you and I would read and study it (and the rest of the completed Scriptures which we now hold), we can look back and see so much of this prophecy literally fulfilled. Just like Daniel, we have to simply trust the rest will be just as literally fulfilled. Daniel lived in the first kingdom and into the second. Here we are on the tail end of the fourth!
What it all tells us, of course, is Daniel’s simple truth, “the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men.” As we live in this chaotic, troubled world of constantly shifting political fortunes and wars, we believers can rest assured our God is completely in charge. While He grants to us humans the dignity to make our own choices (and those choices seem too often to be bad ones), yet in the infinity of His sovereign wisdom and power, this world follows His script.
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