Title The fourth beast (Daniel 7:7-8)
Lesson 75 The fourth beast (Dan 7:7-8)
7:7-8
The fourth beast that I saw after that in the night vision was terrifying and wonderful, and very strong, and had large iron teeth that it ate and crushed and trampled on the rest. As he looked, another little horn sprouted from among them, and the first three of the horns were uprooted before him, and these little horns had eyes like human eyes, and they had mouths that spoke great words.
Jesus said. "Not one jot or tittle of the law will not fall to the ground, and it will be fulfilled. Every word of God's word is precious. There are no unimportant words. There can be no fuss in the Bible. So, when we deal with the Word of God, we should know that every word is the precious Word of God, and we should strive to understand what it means to us.
The words of the text we read today are the appearance of the fourth and last beast that Daniel saw in his vision.
This is verse 7. “The fourth beast I saw next in the night vision was terrifying and marvelous.” Daniel did not name the fourth beast. Instead, it refers to the characteristics of the fourth beast. "It's terrifying and surprising." Daniel was a brave man by nature. He was not afraid of the kings of the kingdoms of the world. He did not accept the delicacies and wine from King Nebuchadnezzar. Instead, I ate vegetarian food and water. He was a man who refused the king's command for the sake of his faith. He spoke fearlessly even before King Belshazzar. "Your kingdom is about to perish. Your life is over." In addition, Daniel prayed to God even though he knew he would be thrown into the lions' den. Daniel was not afraid of even the lion. But when Daniel saw the fourth beast, he said, "It was terrifying and wonderful." The fourth beast must have been that terrifying.
Why is the fourth beast so terrifying and surprising? There are several explanations. "Another very strong." First of all, the beast was extremely strong. King Nebuchadnezzar saw a huge statue in a dream. The fourth part was the "calves and feet" part. What was it made of? It was made of iron. The fourth beast Daniel saw must also have a body made of iron. So it will have to be extremely strong. What else did you have in your mouth? "I have another big iron tooth." The teeth were all made of iron. It was said to "eat and crush" with its fierce and strong teeth. While eating, he chewed and crushed the food with his teeth. After that, what did you say you couldn't eat? "I trampled on the rest." I stomped on it with my feet. In 7:19, it is said that the claws of the fourth beast were made of bronze. Imagine chewing it with iron teeth, crushing it, and trampling it to pieces with brass claws. How frightening and surprising would you be?
Please see the last part of verse 7.
“This beast is different from all the previous beasts, and has ten horns.”
Daniel gave the names of all three beasts he had seen before. “Lion-like,” “bear-like,” “leopard-like,” he said. However, the last and fourth beast was not given a name. I am just describing it like this. "This beast is different from all the previous beasts." Daniel did not take a close look at the appearance of the fourth beast, so it must not have been that he could not write his name down. He would not have been able to describe the name of the beast because it had a unique and terrifying appearance unlike any other beast he had ever seen. Because it was so different from the beasts he had seen before.
Which country does the fourth and last beast represent? It was a symbol of the Roman Empire. In verse 7, we can see how the soldiers of the Roman Empire were brutally occupying the countries of the world in iron chariots.
But the beast had horns on its head. "Because it has ten horns." Usually animals have two horns. But it has ten horns. It's an odd look. The great image King Nebuchadnezzar saw had ten toes. That's the word for it.
Please see verse 8. "I'm watching the horn carefully." Those ten horns were enough to get Daniel's attention. Daniel looked at the strangely shaped ten horns and was contemplating. But he said, "And another little horn came out of it." The eleventh horn came out. The size of the horns was small at first. That's why it's called a little horn. However, this horn grew gradually.
Let's go on to the words: "First three of the horns were uprooted before him." This means that this little horn gradually grew and uprooted the three previous horns. What do you mean? First, let's see what the horns here represent.
Let's look at verse 24.
"These ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom, and after that another will arise, different from those who were before, and will subject three kings."
The horns symbolize the king. There were ten kings, and the new king who came after them subjugates the three existing kings by force. That is, the three kings did not unite themselves with the king symbolized by the small horn, but the king symbolized by the small horn conquered the existing three kings by force. In the end, all the other kings, symbolized by the seven horns, will have no choice but to obey this little horn.
Back to the main text. "This little horn has eyes like human eyes." It is said that the little horns had eyes like human eyes. Maybe it had two eyes. Eyes are what sees. So, we can guess that the king symbolized by the little horn is a cunning king who knows everything brightly.
Please see the last part. "And he had a mouth, and he spoke great words." It is said that this little horn not only had two eyes, but it also had a human mouth and spoke great words. What does the "big horse" here mean?
Let's look at verse 25.
“He will speak words against the Most High and afflict the saints of the Most High, and he will seek to change times and laws, and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.”
A "big horse" is a word against God. blasphemous words. And persecution of the saints. After all, this “little horn” symbolizes the Antichrist who will appear in the last days and oppose God and the saints. And the ten horns appearing here can be seen as a symbol of all the nations of the world appearing in all history from the fall of the Roman Empire until the Second Coming of Jesus.
Guys, what is the Antichrist? Simply put, the Antichrist is the manifestation of Satan in a human body. Conversely, Christ is God who came in the form of a human being. The antichrist opposes the Christ sent by God. And he persecutes his followers. But we need not worry. Why? Because God protects us.
Let's look at the words of Revelation 17:12-14.
“The ten horns you saw are ten kings, which have not yet gained a kingdom, but with the beast you will receive authority for a time as kings. They were of one accord and gave their power and authority to the beast, and they will fight with the Lamb. Because the Lamb is Lord of lords and King of kings, he will overcome them, and those who are with him, those who are called and taken out, those who are faithful."
Victory is already with us. This is because, no matter how terrifying and great the antichrist's power is, it cannot overthrow us, God's chosen people.
I hope that you will be living with Jesus Christ, our Lord, in your heart on this day as well. Jesus must rule our hearts. When Jesus fills our hearts, we can overcome all our fears. You can be bold.
Let's keep our Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts today, and don't be afraid of anything in front of us. Let's be strong and live boldly. Victory belongs to us. I hope today will be a blessed day to live confidently as a child of God.