Daily Reading:
Daniel 7
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Daniel’s Vision of the Four Beasts
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of
Babylon, Daniel had a dream with visions in his mind as he was lying in his
bed. He wrote down the dream, and here is the summary of his account. 2 Daniel
said, “In my vision at night I was watching, and suddenly the four winds of
heaven stirred up the great sea. 3 Four huge beasts came up from the sea, each
different from the other.
4 “The first was like a lion but had
eagle’s wings. I continued watching until its wings were torn off. It was
lifted up from the ground, set on its feet like a man, and given a human mind.
5 “Suddenly, another beast appeared, a
second one, that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side, with three
ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up! Gorge yourself on
flesh.’
6 “While I was watching, another beast
appeared. It was like a leopard with four wings of a bird on its back. It had
four heads and was given authority to rule.
7 “While I was watching in the night
visions, a fourth beast appeared, frightening and dreadful, and incredibly
strong, with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and it trampled with
its feet whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and
it had 10 horns.
8 “While I was considering the horns,
suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first
horns were uprooted before it. There were eyes in this horn like a man’s, and
it had a mouth that spoke arrogantly.
The Ancient of Days and the Son of Man
9 “As I kept watching,
thrones were set in
place,
and the Ancient of
Days took His seat.
His clothing was
white like snow,
and the hair of His
head like whitest wool.
His throne was
flaming fire;
its wheels were
blazing fire.
10 A river of fire
was flowing,
coming out from His
presence.
Thousands upon thousands
served Him;
ten thousand times
ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was
convened,
and the books were
opened.
11 “I watched, then, because of the sound
of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued watching, the beast
was killed and its body destroyed and given over to the burning fire. 12 As for
the rest of the beasts, their authority to rule was removed, but an extension
of life was granted to them for a certain period of time. 13 I continued
watching in the night visions,
and I saw One like
a son of man
coming with the
clouds of heaven.
He approached the
Ancient of Days
and was escorted
before Him.
14 He was given
authority to rule,
and glory, and a
kingdom;
so that those of
every people,
nation, and
language
should serve Him.
His dominion is an
everlasting dominion
that will not pass
away,
and His kingdom is
one
that will not be
destroyed.
Interpretation of the Vision
15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was deeply
distressed within me, and the visions in my mind terrified me. 16 I approached
one of those who were standing by and asked him the true meaning of all this.
So he let me know the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘These huge beasts,
four in number, are four kings who will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy
ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever, yes,
forever and ever.’
19 “Then I wanted to know the true meaning
of the fourth beast, the one different from all the others, extremely
terrifying, with iron teeth and bronze claws, devouring, crushing, and
trampling with its feet whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the
10 horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three
fell—the horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke arrogantly, and that was
more visible than the others. 21 As I was watching, this horn waged war against
the holy ones and was prevailing over them 22 until the Ancient of Days arrived
and a judgment was given in favor of the holy ones of the Most High, for the
time had come, and the holy ones took possession of the kingdom.
23 “This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast
will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms.
It will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it. 24 The 10 horns
are 10 kings who will rise from this kingdom. Another, different from the
previous ones, will rise after them and subdue three kings. 25 He will speak
words against the Most High and oppress the holy ones of the Most High. He will
intend to change religious festivals and laws, and the holy ones will be handed
over to him for a time, times, and half a time. 26 But the court will convene,
and his dominion will be taken away, to be completely destroyed forever. 27 The
kingdom, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be
given to the people, the holy ones of the Most High. His kingdom will be an
everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey Him.’
28 “This is the end of the interpretation.
As for me, Daniel, my thoughts terrified me greatly, and my face turned pale,
but I kept the matter to myself.”
Key: Bold - Verse of the Day
Reflection: On today's leg of our journey to Christ, we find ourselves deep in the dream of Daniel (of lions den fame). In this dream we see 4 beasts, these 4 beast represent 4 different kingdoms. In reading this my mind wonders at the depth of this dream, and the fact that we see it unfolding before our eyes. The great thing about these beasts is that all of them are eventually overruled by the Ancient of Days.
Discussion Topic: Who would you describe the 4 beasts mentioned in this prophecy as?
Prayer: Father, this prophecy overwhelms me. Help us to keep our eyes on you, because though, these beast have been given dominion for now, we know that You overcome, and Your kingdom prevails. Which is one of the reasons we celebrate Your birth. Thank You for coming to lead us out of darkness. In Your name, the Name above all names, Jesus. Amen.
