How Daniel ties into Revelation

Before we get into Daniel, chapter 7, turn in your Bible to Revelation 14. From verses 6 to 12, John sees three angels flying swiftly through the air, each with a very important message. Notice the third angels message (verses 9-12). This angel is warning people of the results of receiving the mark of the beast. This takes place just before the Son of Man is seen sitting on a white cloud (Revelation 14:14). We know from Revelation 1:7, I Thessalonians 4:15-17, etc. that this is referring to the Messiah's second coming. Also note Rev. 14:16. It says that the earth is reaped. Therefore, those who receive the mark of the beast, do so just before the second coming of Christ. We will look more closely at these events in future studies. For now, we will move back towards Daniel 7. In Revelation 13:11,16, and 17, we are pointed to the beast who causes all to receive the mark. He does so by deceiving and forcing the world into worshipping the first best, whose deadly wound was healed (Rev. 13:13-16,12). This first beast refers to the beast found in the same chapter, Rev. 13:1-10. We know this because this beast receives a deadly wound which later heals, then the world worships this beast and its image (Rev. 13:3,4).

Did you notice how the first beast of Revelation 13 (verses 1-10) is described? It has body parts from three different animals: the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear, and a mouth like a lion (verses 1-4). It also has ten horns on its heads. We will go into more details about this beast later, but for now, we will go back to Daniel 7. Take note that the beast of Revelation 13 is made up of the body parts of the four beasts in Daniel 7:2-8. This is a key point to properly understanding what the mark of the beast is. Please don't miss it. This is just one of many ties between Daniel and Revelation. We shall see many more throughout our journey. With these things in mind, let us now turn to Daniel 7 and investigate what these four beasts are.

The Mystery of the four beasts

During the first year of the reign of king Belshazzar, Daniel received yet another dream while he was sleeping. In his dream, he sees four great beasts which come up out of the sea (Rev. 17:15 compares waters with large groups of people). These beasts are a lion with wings, a bear with three ribs in its mouth, a four headed leopard with four wings, and a dreadful and terrible beast with ten horns and iron teeth. After this, another horn comes up out of the head of the fourth beast. It is different than the horns before it, for it has a mouth speaking blaspheme and two eyes like a man. It also destroys three of the ten horns that were previously standing. By this time, I would be shaking in my boots, confused and concerned. So was Daniel. However, God opens to his mind the promise that just after these four kingdoms fall, the Ancient of Days will take his seat and the books will be opened (Dan. 7:9,10). After the Ancient of Days takes His seat, the Son of Man comes in before Him to receive His kingdom, which will never pass away.

The order of this vision is identical to the order of Daniel, chapter 2. Do you remember what took place just after the legs of iron became the feet, part iron and part clay. That's right, the stone cut without the aid of Human hands destroys the statue and fills the whole earth. That stone, we are told, represents the kingdom of God. Do you see the pattern so far? Daniel chapter two gives us the basic detail and Daniel chapter 7 goes over the same events, only with more detail as we shall discover.

What are these Beasts?

Lets take a deeper look at the four beasts in chapter 7. Imagine yourself in the middle of this vision and now you see an angel standing by. This is your chance to find out what these beasts represent. Keep in mind that Daniel is receiving this vision nearly 50 years after the vision of chapter 2. He knows that the head of Gold is near the end of its reign and he is wondering about the next kingdom, the arms and chest of silver. So God gives him another glimpse into the future starting in the present. After seeing these strange beasts, Daniel asks one of the angels standing by in his vision what all these things mean. So the angel of the Lord begins to explain the vision. The four beasts represent "four kings . . . " "But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever", Daniel 7:17,18.

What were these kingdoms? The first kingdom represented by a lion with "eagle's wings" is Babylon. A fitting symbol of Babylon considering if you were to visit the city of Babylon, you would have seen lions engraved in the walls of the city and you would even find a statue depicting a lion about to devour a girl. The lion has been looked upon as the "king of the jungle" for centuries. It's power and beauty have caused it to be respected by human and beast alike. Just as gold is the most precious of all metals, so the lion is the most respected of all land mammals.

The bible says, "You, O king, are a king of kings. . ." "But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours", Daniel 2:37,39. Notice the exalted position that Babylon is given. One more strong proof that Babylon is the first beast is the pattern of the visions of chapters 2 and 7. In both chapters, four kingdoms are depicted followed by the fourth kingdom being divided into many parts and then the kingdom of God is set up. This lion was different from other lions in that it had "eagle's wings", ibid. 7:3. These wings refer to the speed in which Babylon conquered. Habakkuk 1:6-8 describes the Chaldeans (Babylonian kingdom) as "A bitter and hasty nation. . ." which "fly as the eagle that hastens to eat." Clearly, these visions are covering the same ground. They span from Daniels time down through the ages to the end of the world.

The Next beast was a bear. "It was raised up on one side . . ." and ". . . it had three ribs in its mouth" Daniel 7:5. Although not directly mentioned in chapter 2, the kingdom to follow Babylon was the Medo-Persian kingdom. Daniel 5:30 tells us that Darius, the Mede, captured the Babylonian kingdom. An interesting fact about the Medes and the Persians is that they ruled jointly. The bear is raised up higher on one side because the Persians became greater that the Medes. The bear is a fitting symbol of Medo-Persia for many reasons. Just as the bear is inferior to the lion, so the Medes and the Persians never achieved the wealth and brilliance of Babylon. They also had another striking characteristic of bears. They were ruthless and cruel, destroying everyone and everything in their path. The three ribs in the bears mouth represented the three kingdoms that contended with the Medo-Persians and were overthrown. They are Egypt, Babylon, and Lydia.

Daniel 8:20,21 (which we will study later) tells us that Greece would be the kingdom to overthrow the Medes and the Persians. It should be noted that Daniel was given this vision at the beginning of the Medo-Persian kingdom when he was an old man. This kingdom ruled from 539 B.C. to 331 B.C. There is no way he could have known this fact if God had not chosen to reveal it. Greece was denoted by a leopard with four heads and four wings. Have you ever seen such a beast? Once again, God uses an animal that is a very fitting symbol. Alexander the Great, the one from world history class, was the General and king of the empire. In just 12 years, he managed to take over nearly all of the Medo-Persian kingdom and expand its borders. Although he was a mighty general and considered to be unconquerable, he was never able to keep is passions and lusts in check and died by the age of 32. Although he had a son, his son was not old enough to take the thrown so he split the Grecian empire between his four generals. The four heads of the leopard represent the four generals who received the kingdom from Alexander.

The fourth beast, which Daniel was unable to recognize was the Roman empire. As we look into

To be continued . . .

Reviewing the visions

Below is a review of the visions of Daniel chapters 2 and 7 in chart form.