Daniel 7
Tony Garland · Citado em PreceptAustin
Daniel 7:7-14
Garland comments… "Although the Beast and False Prophet are cast while alive into the Lake of Fire, the process results in their death: "I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame" (Da 7:11). Paul told the church at Thessalonica, "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume ([anelei]) with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming" (2Th. 2:8). Consume is [anelei] meaning "take away, do away with, destroy … of persons kill, murder, usually in a violent way." (Friberg: Analytical Lexicon of the Greek NT) Since the Lake of Fire only contains individuals and not systems or institutions, their destination provides additional evidence of their identity as individuals. Nevertheless, if the "beast" of Revelation 19 is "finished", it makes complete sense that the "beast" referred to as the fourth kingdom is also "finished" or "slain" as Paul describes in 2Th 2:8. (Note: There is a similar issue in Rev 13 where the "beast" in Rev 13:1 is called "him" in the NAS translation of Rev 13:2 - click for this discussion) The burning fire - Literally = "the burning of the fire". Hebrews 12:29+ (quoting Dt 4:24) records that "our God is a consuming fire." This is clearly the "lake of fire," (Rev 19:20+, Rev 20:10+) Whitcomb - The fiery destruction of the beast corresponds to the smashing of the image in Daniel 2 by means of the Stone from heaven (Rev. 19:20+). In both cases, the end comes suddenly, supernaturally, and spectacularly. (Daniel Everyman's Bible Commentary) SYMBOLISM OF THE TERM "BEAST" Tony Garland has a discussion of the ways Beast is used in the prophetic writings of Daniel and John (The Revelation). One must have a firm grasp on this concept so that the various passages that reference the term beast are not confusing (context of the passage will help differentiating whether beast refers to a kingdom or an individual, including a "king" of that kingdom)… The Beast is probably the most confusing entity in a consideration of the symbols representing kingdoms and individuals of the visions given to both Daniel and John. This confusion stems from several overlapping aspects of the revelation concerning the Beast: 1. The term beast is used by Daniel to describe several kings (Da 7:17+). Of these four, the last is unique and especially terrible. 2. The term beast is used both to denote the final kingdom and the final king which leads the kingdom among the ten horns (Da 7:11+; Rev 16:10+; Rev 17:11, 12, 13+). 3. The revival of the Beast makes him both a ruler of the seventh kingdom (Rev 16:10+) and the final eighth head. The Beast is said to have seven heads and ten horns, yet he is also “of the seven” heads and “himself also an eighth” (Rev 17:11+). 4. Sometimes the term beast denotes a kingdom (Da 7:7+, Da 7:11+, Da 7:19+; Rev 13:1-2+). Other times (beast denotes) an individual (Rev 11:7+; Rev 13:4+, Rev 13:12-14+, Rev 13:17-18+; Rev 16:10, 14+; Rev 19:19-20+). Elsewhere, the same individual is represented as a horn (Da 7:8+) and a head (Rev 17:9-11+). 5. John sees two beasts, one rising from the sea (Rev 13:1+) and another from the earth (Rev 13:11+)… We refer to the second beast from the earth using his alternate title as the False Prophet. (Rev 19:20+) (A Testimony of Jesus Christ) Daniel 7:12 "As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time. rest: Da 7:4, 5, 6 8:7 Daniel 7 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Their dominion was taken away - By Whom? The sovereign God is the only One Who could accomplish this. Notice in Da 7:6 "dominion was given" to the leopard, again emphasizing the sovereignty of God, Who "removes kings and establishes kings" (Da 2:21) or stated another way He takes and He gives dominion. THOUGHT - What is there in your life that you are not willing to believe He can control? My son is 38 now and for 20+ years was daily high on something and toward the end became suicidal. God broke into His life in 2014 and radically saved Him out of impossible circumstances. God is sovereign over His creation and His creatures. May we are grow in our trust of His wise omnipotent sovereign hand. Amen An extension of life - At first glance this statement is somewhat enigmatic, but when one notes that in history many aspects/attributes of the three preceding beastly kingdoms persisted and permeated the culture of the Romans (and even in our own day), one can see how these former empires received an extension of life. John alludes to this in Rev 13 writing… And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. (Rev 13:2a+) Tony Garland explains that "The mention of the leopard, bear, and lion in connection with the Beast arising from the sea is in concert with what Daniel was shown concerning the continuation of Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece and their contribution to the final form of world government." This beastly amalgamation parallels the persistence/existence of all 4 metals at the time the Stone (Messiah) strikes the statue of Nebuchadnezzar at the "toe stage"… Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time (Da 2:35-note) (This same picture of all metals present at the same time is repeated in Da 2:45-note) Note: they could not be crushed at the same time if they did not exist at the same time. Obviously they do not exist in the same form as when they were literal kingdoms, but the point is made that they must exist. Here is a quote from Wikipedia which supports this interpretation - Hellenistic (Grecian) civilization represents the zenith of Greek influence in the ancient world from 323 BC to about 146 BC (or arguably as late as 30 BC); note, however that Koine Greek language and Hellenistic philosophy and religion are also indisputably elements of the Roman era till Late Antiquity. It was immediately preceded by the Classical Greece period, and immediately followed by the rule of Rome over the areas Greece had earlier dominated – although much of Greek culture, art and literature permeated Roman society, whose elite spoke and read Greek as well as Latin. (Hellenistic civilization) John Walvoord on extension - What verse 12 is saying is that the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Grecian empires were to some extent continued in their successors; that is, Gentile power shifted as to rulership but continued more or less in the same pattern: By contrast, at the second coming of Christ the fourth beast is completely destroyed, and a totally different kingdom which is from heaven succeeds the fourth empire. The destruction of the first three beasts is not stated directly in this chapter. Evidently the first three continue to survive in another form in the kingdom which replaces them. Hence, “They had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.” This is borne out by the image of chapter 2, as Driver states, “the entire image remains intact until the stone falls upon the feet (representing the fourth and last kingdom), when the whole of it breaks up together.” When Medo-Persia followed Babylon, the dominion of Babylon was taken away, but in some sense the lives of the participants were prolonged. The same is true when Greece succeeded Medo-Persia and when Rome succeeded Greece. But the end of the fourth beast is to be dramatic, cataclysmic, and final. Both the rulers and the people involved are to be destroyed. This interpretation agrees with Revelation 19:19–20, which records the beast as destroyed and its ruler cast in the lake of fire at the second coming of Christ, and is confirmed by Matthew 25:31–46, the judgment of the nations at the return of Christ. Daniel 7:13 "I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. one like: Ps 8:4,5 Isa 9:6,7 Eze 1:26 Mt 13:41 24:30 25:31 26:64 Mk 13:26 14:61,62 Lk 21:27,36 Jn 3:13 5:27 12:34 Ac 7:56 Php 2:6, 7, 8 Heb 2:14 Rev 1:7,13,18 14:14 the Ancient: Da 7:9,22 Ps 47:5 68:17,18 Jer 49:19 Eph 1:20,21 1Ti 6:16 Heb 9:24 Daniel 7 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries BEGINNING OF THE FIFTH & FINAL DIVINE KINGDOM In Daniel 7:13,14 we have a heavenly perspective which presents the climax of Daniel's night vision and in fact the climax of world history from man's viewpoint. In abbreviated but chronological order we see in Da 7:11, Da 7:12 the fall of the final Gentile kingdom and its final ruler, the Little Horn (aka, "Anti-Christ" - 1Jn 2:18-note). And immediately after that fourth kingdom is crushed by the Stone (cp Da 2:34-note, Da 2:44-note), the same Stone Who is the Son of Man receives the fifth and final kingdom which endures forever and will not be destroyed. And it is then that the prayer, "Thy kingdom come" (Mt 6:10-note) will be finally and fully answered. With the clouds of heaven - Clouds are almost always associated with the return of Jesus (see comments on identity of the Son of Man below). In one of the versions of the Lxx, the preposition epi signifies the Son of Man comes upon the clouds. John Walvoord - The expression that He is attended by “clouds of heaven” implies His deity (1Th 4:17-note). A parallel appears in Revelation 1:7-note, which states, “Behold, he cometh with clouds,” in fulfillment of Acts 1 where in His ascension He was received by a cloud (Acts 1:9) and the angels say that he will “come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Clouds in Scripture are frequently characteristic of revelation of deity (Ex 13:21, 22; 19:9, 16; 1Ki 8:10, 11; Is 19:1; Jer 4:13; Eze 10:4; Mt 24:30; 26:64; Mk 13:26). (Daniel 7 - Daniel's Vision Of Future World History) Tony Garland has an extended note on clouds in his highly recommended conservative commentary on Revelation (A Testimony of Jesus Christ) writing that… Clouds are often associated with the glory of the Lord. Clouds were often one aspect of the visible manifestation of the Lord’s presence (Ex. 16:10; 19:9, 16; 24:15, 16; 34:5; 40:34; Dt 5:22). Clouds indicated His presence over the mercy seat where He dwelt between the cherubim (Lev 16:2). During Solomon’s prayer dedicating the Temple, he recognized God's habitation as the dark cloud (2Chr. 6:1). In response, the glory of the Lord filled the Temple (2Chr. 7:1), no doubt including a manifestation of clouds. The psalmist understood dark clouds to be God’s canopy (Ps 18:11-note; Ps 97:2-note). The manifestation of God by clouds indicates His localized presence on the earth, among men: the Shechinah Glory (Ed: See related resource: Shekinah glory cloud) is the visible manifestation of the presence of God. It is the majestic presence or manifestation of God in which He descends to dwell among men. Whenever the invisible God becomes visible, and whenever the omnipresence of God is localized, this is the Shechinah Glory. The usual title found in Scriptures for the Shechinah Glory is the glory of Jehovah, or the glory of the Lord. The Hebrew form is Kvod Adonai, which means “the glory of Jehovah” and describes what the Shechinah Glory is. The Greek title, Doxa Kurion, is translated as “the glory of the Lord.” Doxa means “brightness,” “brilliance,” or “splendor,” and it depicts how the Shechinah Glory appears. Other titles give it the sense of “dwelling,” which portrays what the Shechinah Glory does. The Hebrew word Shechinah, from the root shachan, means “to dwell.” The Greek word skeinei, which is similar in sound as the Hebrew Shechinah (Greek has no “sh” sound), means “to tabernacle” … In the Old Testament, most of these visible manifestations took the form of light, fire, or cloud, or a combination of these. A new form appears in the New Testament: the Incarnate Word. (Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of Messiah, rev ed. Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2003, 500) (See Related Resource on site: Glory of the LORD: Past, Present, Future) The visible manifestation of God indicating the place where he dwelt has been called the “Shekinah” glory from the Hebrew verb שָׁכַן [šāḵan] meaning “dwell, live among, inhabit, abide, stay, remain, camp, i.e., to live or reside in a place, usually for a relatively long amount of time (Ge 9:27).” (Merrill C. Tenney, Interpreting Revelation Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1957, 121) See The Abiding Presence of God. The cloud is probably not to be interpreted as a vapor cloud or as a storm cloud, but as a cloud of glory betokening the presence of God… The “cloud,” then, may be the cloud of the Shekinah, which led the children of Israel out of Egypt and through the desert, and which overshadowed the Tabernacle and the Temple (Ex 13:21, 22; 40:34; Nu 9:15, 16; 2Chr 7:2, 3). (Merrill C. Tenney, Interpreting Revelation Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1957, 121) When Jesus revealed His glory to Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, the voice of the Father spoke from within a bright cloud saying, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Mt 17:5). Jesus explained His appearance with the clouds to be the sign of His coming (Mt 24:30) and His mention of “coming on the clouds of heaven” (Mt 26:64) was understood by the high priest as a blasphemous claim (Mt 26:64, 65). He tore his garments in response, a clear indication of his understanding of what Jesus was claiming (Da 7:13). John’s mention here of Jesus coming with clouds is an allusion from the book of Daniel which records the presentation of the Son to the Father: I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. (Da 7:13) This presentation of the Son is to receive His kingdom (Da 7:14) and does not take place until all of His enemies are made His footstool (Ps 110:1-note). This includes His future enemy, Daniel’s “little horn” (Da 7:8, Da 7:20, 21-note). At present, He is seated at the right hand of the Father awaiting that day. The Son began the period of sitting at the right hand and waiting for His enemies to be made His footstool at His ascension (Acts 2:32, 33, 34, 35; Heb 10:11, 12, 13-note). His earthly kingdom did not come at the time of His ascension, but occurs when He rises from His seat beside the Father and descends to take up His Davidic throne on earth (Mt 25:31; Luke 1:32, 33). (See note [see this note also] which clarifies the distinction between the throne of the Father versus the throne of the Son.) At other times, the Lord is said to ride “on a swift cloud” (Isa 19:1). It is such a passage which provides the basis for the preterist interpretation which holds that this verse is describing a “cloud coming” in judgment upon a nation. Such a judgment in the OT was not attended by a literally visible manifestation of God. Yet here, we are explicitly told that every eye will see Him. Not just the “clouds of judgment,” but Him ! This return of Jesus will be with clouds, bodily, and visible as the angels informed His disciples at the time of His ascension (Acts 1:9, 10,11). His return is the subject of the latter portion of Revelation 19. If this were a “judgment coming” of Christ in A.D. 70 upon the Jews of Jerusalem as the preterists claim, what relevance would that have to the seven churches of Asia who were hundreds of miles away and virtually unaffected by the event? (See Garland's note #11) As our discussion regarding the Date the Revelation was written shows, the best evidence supports a late date near the end of Domitian’s reign when John had the vision (A.D. 95-96). That being the case, the “coming” described here cannot refer to the “cloud coming in judgment” to destroy Jerusalem in A.D. 70 as the Preterist Interpretation holds. (A Testimony of Jesus Christ 3.1.7 - Revelation 17) (Bolding added) One like a Son of Man - This is the verse in Daniel which is most often quoted in the NT and most conservative commentators agree this description refers to Jesus not an angel and certainly not the nation of Israel as propounded by some liberal commentators! Son of Man is Jesus' favorite term for Himself in the Gospels (see below). Miller - “One like a son of man” means that this person was in human form. (Miller, S. R. Vol. 18: Daniel: The New American Commentary p207. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers) Son of Man - 84 times in 80 verses in the Gospels - Mt 8:20; 9:6; 10:23; 11:19; 12:8, 32, 40; 13:37, 41; 16:13, 27f; 17:9, 12, 22; 18:11; 19:28; 20:18, 28; 24:27, 30, 37, 39, 44; 25:31; 26:2, 24, 45, 64; Mark 2:10, 28; 8:31, 38; 9:9, 12, 31; 10:33, 45; 13:26; 14:21, 41, 62; Luke 5:24; 6:5, 22; 7:34; 9:22, 26, 44, 56, 58; 11:30; 12:8, 10, 40; 17:22, 24, 26, 30; 18:8, 31; 19:10; 21:27, 36; 22:22, 48, 69; 24:7; John 1:51; 3:13f; 5:27; 6:27, 53, 62; 8:28; 9:35; 12:23, 34; 13:31. The prevalent NT usage of this phrase Son of Man as a title of our Lord Jesus Christ should thoroughly demolish any comments that this title does not refer to Jesus! The context also leaves no doubt that the Son of Man is the King of kings (cp Ps 72:11-note) Who receives a kingdom from His Father, the Ancient of Days (Da 7:13). An angel or any other supernatural being cannot explain this phrase. In His description of His triumphant return Jesus told His disciples that… immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Mt 24:29, 30, 31) Speaking to the high priest Caiaphas who was asking Jesus "Are you the Messiah, Son of the Blessed?"… Jesus (now no longer veiling His Messiahship) said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power (i.e., the right hand of the "Ancient of Days"), and coming with the clouds of heaven.” (Mk 14:62, cp Mt 26:64, Rev 1:7-note) The most frequent OT use of the phrase son of man (Hebrew = ben 'adam) is found in Ezekiel, where it the prophet refers to himself by this designation 93x in 93v. - Ezek 2:1, 3, 6, 8; 3:1, 3f, 10, 17, 25; 4:1, 16; 5:1; 6:2; 7:2; 8:5f, 8, 12, 15, 17; 11:2, 4, 15; 12:2f, 9, 18, 22, 27; 13:2, 17; 14:3, 13; 15:2; 16:2; 17:2; 20:3f, 27, 46; 21:2, 6, 9, 12, 14, 19, 28; 22:2, 18, 24; 23:2, 36; 24:2, 16, 25; 25:2; 26:2; 27:2; 28:2, 12, 21; 29:2, 18; 30:2, 21; 31:2; 32:2, 18; 33:2, 7, 10, 12, 24, 30; 34:2; 35:2; 36:1, 17; 37:3, 9, 11, 16; 38:2, 14; 39:1, 17; 40:4; 43:7, 10, 18; 44:5; 47:6; Dan 7:13; 8:17 He was presented before Him - In order to received the fifth kingdom as explained in Da 7:14. A few commentators (e.g., Montgomery) even posit the bizarre interpretation that Son of Man represents the people of Israel, but such comments are hardly worth refuting they are so absurd. Indeed, even the Jewish apocryphal Book of Enoch attests that the Son of Man refers to an individual not a nation. Daniel 7:14 "And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. given : Da 7:27 Ps 2:6, 7, 8 8:6 110:1,2 Mt 11:27 28:18 Lk 10:22 19:11,12 Jn 3:35 5:22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 1Co 15:27 Eph 1:20, 21, 22 Php 2:9, 10, 11 1Pe 3:22 Rev 3:21) that all: Da 3:4 Ps 72:17 Isa 60:12 Rev 11:15 17:14 everlasting: Da 7:18,27 2:35,44 4:3 6:26 Ps 45:6 145:13 146:10 Isa 9:7 Ob 1:21 Mic 4:7 Lk 1:33 Jn 12:34 1Co 15:24, 25, 26, 27, 28 Heb 12:28) To Him was given - The Father's gift to the Son (see Mt 11:27, 28:18). Considering what He is given, this event describes in essence the coronation of the Son of Man as the King of kings Whose reign will never end. David records a parallel truth in Psalm 2 (Acts 4:25 attributes it to David)… (God the Father is speaking) But as for Me, I have installed My King (God the Son) upon Zion, My holy mountain. (Now the Son speaks) I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession. (Psalm 2:6, 7, 8-note)
Daniel 7:7-14
Garland commenting on Rev 11:15 writes that… The event is so certain in the sounding of the seventh angel that it is treated as if already past. However, the kingdom will not have arrived in totality until all seven bowl judgments are poured forth (Rev 16:17-note) and the King Himself returns to earth to defeat the armies of the nations (Isa 63:1-6; Zech 12:1-9; 14:1-8; Rev 19:11-21-note). That day is described by many passages (Ps 22:27, 28, Ps 72:8, 9, 10, 11, Isa 9:7, Da 2:44-note, Zech 14:, 9, 10, 11, Lk 1:32, 33)… Not one of the above passages finds literal fulfillment in the present day Church as the adherents of Replacement Theology, Dominion Theology, and Covenant Theology claim because the sounding of the seventh trumpet remains future to our time. These passages do not speak of an invisible spiritual kingdom, but a visible earthly kingdom. "All attempts to equate this glorious reign of Christ over the whole earth with any past event or with the church is utterly foreign and contradictory to the clear eschatological teaching of Scripture, including especially this passage. There is no way this text can be fulfilled except by the universal reign of Jesus Christ over the whole earth—as the prophets had for so long predicted." (John MacArthur) His kingdom is without end (Ex 15:18; Ps. 10:16; 145:13; Isa 9:7; Da 2:44-note; Da 4:3-note; Da 6:26-note; Da 7:14, Da 7:18-note, Da 7:27-note; Mic. 4:7; Luke 1:33; 1Ti. 1:17; 2Pe 1:11-note). (A Testimony of Jesus Christ) That all the peoples, nations and men of every language - The Messianic Kingdom will be a worldwide kingdom. In this future kingdom there will saints from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. (Rev 5:9-note; cp Rev 7:9-note). It follows that although "saints" in Daniel 7 is most directly addressed to OT saints (largely Jewish believers those who are part of the believing believing remnant), this phrase indicates that saints of all nations (this clearly includes NT saints) will be present. Might serve Him - Serve is the Aramaic verb pelah which has the connotation of not only to serve but to revere and to worship. To pay reverence. Pelah - 10v - Ezra 7:24; Da 3:12, 14, 17, 18, 28; twice = "your God whom you constantly serve" = Da 6:16, 20; 7:14, 27. NAS = servants(1), serve(9). Note the other use of pelah in Daniel 7… Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him. (Da 7:27) The Septuagint (LXX) translates pelah with the Greek verb latreuo (word study) which conveys either the idea of "worship" or "service" and thus suggests that "service" cannot be separated from "worship." As an aside, many believers desire to "worship" the Lord on Sunday but are too busy to "serve" Him at other times. The Scripture knows nothing of this dichotomy. Notice also that the order in Scripture is first “worship” and then “serve”. Acknowledgment of God Himself must have precedence over activity in His service. Service to God derives its effectiveness from engagement of the heart with God. Any true worshipper of God is also a servant, ready to do his Master's bidding, discharging his or her priestly duties. John