Title: The first beast (Daniel 7:4)
Contents
Lesson 72 The First Beast (Daniel 7:4)
7:4
The first was like a lion, and had the wings of an eagle, and my wings were plucked out between my cheeks, and I was lifted up from the ground, and I was made to stand on two feet like a man, and I was given the heart of a man.
Daniel had a dream that night while he was sleeping on his bed. He had an abnormality in his brain in a dream. I saw the four winds of heaven rushing and blowing into the great sea. And soon afterward, I saw four great beasts coming up out of the sea. What did the beasts Daniel saw in vision represent?
Please take a look at verse 17.
"The four great beasts are your kings, and they shall arise in the world."
The angel explains the vision Daniel saw. The beast that rises from the sea is said to represent the king of the world. Daniel 7:4, which we read today, is a concrete picture of the first beast that appears in Daniel's vision.
Please see verse 4. "The first is like a lion." He said he looked like a lion. However, unlike the lions we know, there is something special about them. What's different? "It had eagle wings." The body of a lion has large wings like the wings of an eagle.
So, which king of which country would this lion with eagle's wings represent? In Daniel 2, we find the details of a dream that King Nebuchadnezzar had. He saw a huge statue in his dream. The head was of pure gold. Who did the gold head symbolize? It symbolized King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. In the Bible, you can see that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is often compared to a lion or an eagle. Let us find just a few verses.
First, look at the words of Jeremiah 4:7. Jeremiah was a prophet who mourned and prophesied as he saw the destruction of the kingdom of Judah by Babylon.
“A lion has come up out of the forest, and one who destroys the nations has come.”
In context, "the one who destroys the nations" here refers to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. It is symbolically described as "a lion came up from the bush" when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon went out to attack the nations.
Also look at Jeremiah 49:19.
“Behold, as a lion ascends from the groves of the Jordan, he will come and strike a stronghold; I will drive them out of there immediately, and I will build over them whom I have chosen. "
"He came" here refers to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
Go back and look at verse 22.
"Behold, in the day that the enemy flies like an eagle and spreads his wings over Bozrah."
Do you often hear the word lion or eagle? Who are the lion and the eagle referring to in the context? Let's look at verse 28.
"They were attacked by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon."
All refer to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Let's find one more place.
This is Hab 1:8.
“The horse is faster than a leopard, fiercer than the evening wolf, and its cavalry is a cavalry that runs fast from far away, like the flight of an eagle trying to grab food.
This is the story of the prophet Habakkuk when he heard the dreadful news that the Chaldeans, the Babylonians, were coming to attack Judah. King Nebuchadnezzar's soldiers attacking Judah were described as flying like an eagle flying down to its prey.
As you can see, in the Bible, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, is described as a lion or an eagle. If you look at the gates of the palaces of our country, you can often see the shape of a stone beast. Haetae, turtles, etc. Likewise, there was a statue of the beast in front of the Babylonian Temple (Ishtar Gate) in the days of King Nebuchadnezzar. what prize would it have been? It was a lion statue. So King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is often depicted as a lion. In any case, the first beast Daniel saw, a lion-like beast with eagle's wings, was a description of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon.
Continue to look. "The wing was plucked between my cheeks." I'll ask. Would this be a good sign for King Nebuchadnezzar? If not, would that be a bad omen? Of course, that's an ugly sign because I lost my winged wings.
This is from Daniel chapter 4. King Nebuchadnezzar had a second dream. In my dream, I saw a large tree standing in the middle of the ground. But the tree grew bigger and bigger and its top reached to the sky. The branches were lush and there were many fruits. It was good up to there. Then a holy watcher came down from heaven. The ranger cut down everything except the stump of the tree.
What was the meaning of this dream? King Nebuchadnezzar will be judged by God. Indeed, King Nebuchadnezzar suffered from mental illness for seven years. The heart of man departed from him, and the heart of the beast entered him instead. For seven years he acted like a cow. He dwelt with the beasts of the field with the dew of heaven. They also ate grass like cows. His hair became like that of an eagle. And his claws became like the claws of birds. This is precisely expressed in the text, "His wings were plucked out".
Let's continue to look at the words of the text. "And he was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand on two feet like a man." After seven years had passed, King Nebuchadnezzar looked up to heaven. Then his intelligence returned to him. He used to walk on four legs like an animal, but now he can stand on two legs like a human again. In addition, the lost authority was regained.
He said, "I have also received a human heart." It is said that the heart of the beast that had been holding him captive during that time was gone and the heart of the original man was received. Here is something we should read with caution. Please read the text again. Not "standing" on two feet like a man, but "made to stand". Also, he said, "I have found" people's hearts, not "I have found them." Who did that? Who gave King Nebuchadnezzar a human heart to make him stand on two feet like a human again? that God did it.
God lowered Nebuchadnezzar king and raised him up again. When did God bring down King Nebuchadnezzar? When King Nebuchadnezzar was proud, God humbled him.
Please see Daniel 4:30.
"I the king said, "Is not this Babylon the great, which I have built with power and authority, and made it my city, for the glory of my majesty?"
What did King Nebuchadnezzar say as he walked over the palace and looked down at the great city of Babylon? "Is not this Babylon the great, which I have built by my power and my authority, and made it my city, and by it I have shown my majesty and my glory?" He put himself to the best of his ability. I was proud. Then God struck him. lowered him. As a result, he became like a psychopath.
Let's move on and look at verse 34.
“When the time was up, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven.”
Before that, King Nebuchadnezzar did not know how to look up to heaven. I thought he was the tallest. He said that the tree he saw in his dream had its tip reaching the sky. Nebuchadnezzar did not know that the sky was high. But now I have learned to look up to the sky with humility. It was only then that he realized that God was above him. What happened to him when he became humble? Continue reading verse 34.
“My understanding has returned to me again, and I thanked the Most High, and praised and honored the One who lives forever, whose dominion is everlasting, and his kingdom is from generation to generation.
The God who humbled and exalted King Nebuchadnezzar, humbles us and exalts us. Let's not be arrogant. To be proud is to oppose God. It's to kick back the thorns. In the Bible, there was a person who kicked a thorn behind his back. Who was it? It was Paul. When Paul was a Pharisee, he thought that he was blameless in the law. He just knew he was the best. He thought that those who believed in Jesus were heretics and thought that he would arrest and kill them all. He was not content enough to destroy the Christians in Jerusalem. Just as Haman in Persia thought he would kill all the Jews, Paul thought he would kill all the Christians.
For this, Paul went to the high priest and received a letter. Then he went to Damascus. Damascus is about 160 miles from Jerusalem. It takes about 6-7 days on foot. But what happened to Paul on his way there? The resurrected Jesus appeared to him. Jesus said to Paul.
"Saul! Saul. Why are you persecuting me? It's hard for you to kick back thorns!"
A thorn is a tree that has been cut sharply like thorns for use when moving cattle or horses. If you kick backwards towards the sharp thorn, only the person kicking it will suffer more. Pride is the way to resist God, that is, to kick back thorns.
Paul understood and was converted. I became humble. It was only then that I realized that I was a sinner. Before that, he thought that he had no fault in the law and that he believed best. But now he is not only a sinner, but he is also called the "chief" among sinners. That's how humble Paul was. Therefore, Paul was used exceptionally and preciously. I have received many favors.
Our Jesus said “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” To be proud is to oppose God. It's to kick back the thorns. Only you are in pain. Let us humble our hearts. I pray in the name of Jesus that you and I will receive all the grace that God gives us as we humble our hearts on this day as well.