Daniel 7: A Prophetic Panorama
HAVE YOU EVER wondered if there was any order or plan to the course of human history? Nations and empires rise, expand, degenerate and fall. Leaders live, rule and die. But where is everything headed? Some in despair say that human history is going nowhere. Others try to sound optimistic and say that history is going wherever the human race takes it. Christians who know their God and his Word, however, realize that history does have a plan. That's the assurance God gave Daniel in what at first appeared to be a terrifying night vision!
Warming Up to God
What questions do you have today about God's plan for you or for the world? Present your questions to the Lord, and ask him to use this text to give you greater understanding.
Read Daniel 7. »
Discovering the Word
- The sea is used in many prophetic passages to represent the nations of the world (see, for example, Is 17:12-13; 57:20 and Lk 21:25). If that is the picture here, how would you explain verses 2-3?
- Daniel sees four beasts which, according to verse 17, represent four kingdoms. The lionlike appearance of the first beast may represent that kingdom's strength and majesty. What characteristics of the second, third and fourth kingdoms are suggested by verses 5-7?
- What aspects of God's nature and power are suggested by Daniel's description of the Ancient of Days in verses 9-10? How can this vision of God give us hope and stability when the nations (or our lives) are in turmoil?
- The final figure to appear in Daniel's vision is "one like a son of man" (vv. 13-14)—an apparent description of the Lord Jesus. Why do you think all the kings and kingdoms of the world are pictured as beasts but Christ looks like a son of man?
- After the four kingdoms rise, "the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom" (vv. 17-18). How is their conquest different from that of the four kingdoms?
- Describe the political and military power of the "other horn" from the information found in this chapter (vv. 19-26).
Applying the Word
- How does reading this passage affect your attitude toward the future?
- Daniel is told that the saints of the Most High will share in the kingdom with the Son of man. What do you find most appealing about Daniel's description of God's kingdom (vv. 13-14, 27), and why?
Responding in Prayer
Pray for those nations that are currently in turmoil. Ask God to bring hope to the people there.
For Further Study
The Kingdom of God by Greg Jao