“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. 2 Daniel declared,[a] “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. “What he saw was the story of human depravity throughout history. Out of the violent seas of life, are wars, fears, sickness, anger, violence, and bloodshed. There are evils within the human heart hardly imaginable; yet, these continue on down through the ages of history. Truly there is nothing new under the sun”. Yet is one hope holds strong through the violent seas of life. Jesus Christ wins. His Kingdom Reigns eternally.
Hope Holds Strong Because God’s Word Stands.
Unlike other religions and their books, 2/3 of the Bible is prophecy of which at least half have already come to be fulfilled exactly as God declared they would be. This is even with dates, names and times precisely foretold. No other religion dares to dabble in prophecy, because one failed prophecy and everything unravels. Uniquely much of prophecy in the Bible has a dual prophetic presentation—one that has been fulfilled and yet a picture of another yet to come.
21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Isaiah 45:21
9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it. Isaiah 46
The Violent Seas of Life
The last half of the book of Daniel turns to the visions seen by Daniel himself. Remember before this he was interpreting the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. This becomes a key point in or seeing the next vision.
“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. 2 Daniel declared,[a] “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. Daniel 7
Remember when King Nebuchadnezzar saw the vision of the man which was the picture of the nations that were yet to come. It was that a statue of a man with head of gold (Babylon), breast plate of silver (Mede-Persian), thighs of brass (Greek Empire), and legs of irons (Roman Empire)—reaching then to the toes of iron mixed with clay (Divided Nations of Power). These all had some degree of beauty and elegance. Humanity looks back over these kingdoms with admiration for their achievements, power, strength, and wealth. Yet, when the vision of these kingdoms came to Daniel in chapter 7, he saw them as God views them instead. Violence, tyranny, rage, passion, lust, pride, bitterness, strife, and greed driving each Kingdom that rises and falls throughout all the years of history.
RISING OUT OF THE TUMULTUOUS SEA
The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. (Representing Babylon)
5 And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ ( Mede-Persians who did overtake the Syrians, the Egyptians and the Babylonians)
6 After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. (Greek Empire—Greek Empire of Alexander which was divided into 4 at his death)
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; (This beast) devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. (Roman Empire—which after its division has been many nations—none have been able to create a full empire again though they have tried to this day)
8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. (There will be once more when the Antichrist pulls these nations together, although they will be many nations under one ruler).
One Hope Holds Strong
9 “As I looked,
thrones were placed,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat;
his clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames;
its wheels were burning fire.
10 A stream of fire issued
and came out from before him;
a thousand thousands served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;
the court sat in judgment,
and the books were opened.
11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
FURTHERMORE
13 “I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.
The Vision Revisited
Two years later, Daniel is shown the vision of the future again. This time he sees even further details, even foretelling of the extremely evil King who will desecrate the temple during his reign from 175 BC to 163BC. His name was Antiochus and the terrors he performed are recorded in other history books. They were tremendous; however, he is also a picture of the Antichrist who will yet come.
God shows us by example much of what is to come, only to also confirm and remind us that He is on His throne. This cycle of humanity trying to prove that they have evolved into creatures that can bring a better society continues as man changes his sword for his armored tanks and nuclear warheads. Bloodshed, violence, anger, division, rape, molestation, and abuse marches on through society.
The beast nations, these that rise out of the raging sea, continue just so long as God says. They are allowed to do just so much as God permits and nothing else. Their end is not what they choose, nor is it what they like……These kingdoms and these empires exist only as long as God says. They continue only according to God’s permissive will. It is God who guides their destiny to whatever consummating purpose fits His masterful plan. They do not choose the own end. The Ruler and the King of this universe is not the empire, not the nation, not the kingdom. It is God Himself. [1]
One Hope Holds Strong Whatever the Violent Seas of Life
Remember this Daniel “is a slave, a Judean captive. He has a master and his life is at the beck and call the conquering king. But his spirit, his soul, and his vision are free. He soars above the heavens and see through the distance into the very consummation and end of the age…Always there is that contrast between the violence of war and the precious coming of Christ with righteousness, light, peace and hope in His hand.”[2]
Should we not also soar above the circumstances of this world, knowing Him? Hope holds strong; because we know who holds our future regardless of the storms we may face. He holds tomorrow.
[1] Criswell, W.A., Expository Sermons on the Book of Daniel, Vol. 4; Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI,1972, pages 31-32
[2] IBID, 62, 63
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD? He is our only Hope in Life and Death! Our Joy is found in Him.
If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you today. Go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
For Prayer or Comments
If you have a prayer request feel free to email me by clicking here
Furthermore, if you would like to share your story or thoughts, you can comment here
PREVIOUS
DISCLOSURES
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2021
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Credits
Photo licensed through Goodsalt.com
New English Translation (NET)
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.