Daniel 7:1-3 “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. 2 Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.”
In the first year of Belshazzar... - It was in the first year of king Belshazzar that Daniel had a vision and wrote down all that he saw, with the interpretation.
Four winds of heaven - It is quite obvious as we go down through this prophecy that the Bible uses a number of symbols to describe what is taking place. Only the Bible can be used to interpret these symbols.
In Jeremiah 25:31-33 we see that when a great whirlwind is raised up it wreaks death and destruction upon those it comes against. Also in Jeremiah 4:13 we find that the chariots that spoiled the people, (this being a prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem by the hand of Babylon Vs 5, 6), were likened unto a whirlwind. So it is easily seen that winds are a symbol of war, strife, bloodshed, and trouble. Four being from the four quarters of the earth or the four points of the compass Jeremiah 49:36.
Strove upon the great sea - Seas are a symbol of multitudes, nations, tongues, and peoples. (Revelation 17:15, Isaiah 17:12)
Four great beasts came up from the sea - A beast is a symbol of a king or kingdom, so to is a horn. (Daniel 7:17; 23-24) Already we are seeing a picture of what Daniel is being shown. Strife, war and bloodshed is upon the nations as kingdom conquers kingdom to rise to world supremacy. Notice how the beasts rose up out of the sea, thus showing that each kingdom rose out of a densely populated area. We are looking at world events as it comes from all directions, all encompassing.
Diverse one from another - The people in each controlling nation were different, the laws and customs were different, and even the administration of the kingdoms was different.
Daniel 7:4 “The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.”
The first - This shows that all the kingdoms came in succession, as they are known as the first, second and so on.
Was like a lion, and had eagles wings - A lion is strong and very courageous, and it is also known as the king of the beasts. But which kingdom does this winged lion represent? If we look in Jeremiah 4:5-7, it is seen there a prophecy regarding the coming destruction of Judah and Jerusalem under the hand of Babylon. Notice how Babylon, who came from the north, is described as a lion. We also know from Daniel chapter 1 that it was Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, that came and conquered Judah and Jerusalem. Babylon is represented by this lion.
Wings are a symbol of speed or swiftness as seen in Habakkuk 1:6-9. It is also interesting to note that in these verses it is prophesied of the rise of the Chaldeans/Babylonians whilst they were still an Assyrian province. Their horsemen were to be like an eagle that hasteth to eat, that is, fast, showing their speed of conquest. The winged lion symbol is found on many Babylonian objects of art and also upon the Ishtar gates, which were the gates of entry for the triumphant armies. This symbol is utilised by Bible prophets in talking about Babylon.
Wings were plucked...made stand upon feet as a man...man’s heart given... - Here we see a change taking place in the Babylonian power. No longer was it swift to fly upon its enemies or quick to defend its territory like the king of the beasts, the strong courageous heart of a lion was replaced by a weak and wicked heart of a man, and made to stand as a man.
In the time of the downfall of Babylon under Belshazzar’s reign, the kingdom was reduced to the walls of Babylon itself. With the conquering spirit gone and regarding that their power came from their god’s. (Habakkuk 1:11, Jeremiah 50:38) God had abandoned them and the Babylonian kingdom fell with Belshazzar being slain in the middle of a drunken feast. See chapter 5. Babylon reigned from 606-538 B.C.
Daniel 7:5 “And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.”
Another beast - We are now introduced to the next kingdom rising to power.
Like a bear...raised up on one side - A bear is very vicious, ferocious, also blood thirsty. But this one is raised up on one side showing that one side is being favoured, thus being weaker.
This is a very good description of the Medo-Persian Empire. They were cruel and vicious. (Isaiah 13:15-19) Also they were partly strong and partly weak. Darius the Mede and Cyrus his nephew came together so as to go up against Babylon. The Persians were much stronger than the Medes, hence the bear raised up on one side, with the Persians ruling the kingdom for the majority of the time. See Inserted note, A.
Three ribs in its mouth - This bear has been devouring other beasts as it has three ribs in its mouth. These three ribs can represent the three kingdoms that the Medes and Persians conquered as they were rising to power, these are Lydia, Egypt, and Babylon.
Arise devour much flesh - The Medo-Persian empire was much larger than the Babylonian empire. They ruled over 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. (Esther 1:1) Medes and Persians ruled from 538-331 B.C.
