“Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.” 2 Peter 1:2021
I am writing this on Thursday morning as I watch Russia invade the Ukraine. We are watching Biblical Prophecy being fulfilled before our eyes. Reading the morning news is like reading the Bible. We need to understand Biblical Prophecy. Understanding prophecy will give us the peace to know that God is in control of this world. As we move into this section of Daniel, please pray that I can understand all the prophecy and give you all the information that you need so that you can understand it also.
King Nabonidus was monarch over the empire, but he made his son Belshazzar ruler over Babylon; and the first year of his reign was probably 553. This means that the events in chapter 7 and 8 preceded those described in chapter 5 and 6, and Daniel was nearly seventy years old at the time these events occurred. In this vision, Daniel learned about six different kingdoms, four of them kingdoms of the world, one of them the kingdom of Satan and the last one the kingdom of Messiah. The first six chapters of Daniel are history; chapters 7 through 12 are prophecy. Daniel had four major prophetic dreams that took place over a period of about twenty-two years. Chapter 2 of Daniel, where dream was given to Nebuchadnezzar and interpreted by Daniel, and chapter 7, where the dream is given to Daniel and interpreted by an angel, are placed together in historical perspective. Chapter 2 shows history from a pagan king’s viewpoint that was Nebuchadnezzar’ idea of human history, the great accomplishment of humanity and humanism. Now we will see God’s viewpoint of the nations and their moral character.
Daniel 7 is the final chapter in the Aramaic section of the book. Structurally, the chapter completes the interconnecting arrangement of chapters 2– 7. It parallels Daniel 2 in presenting the fourfold succession of Gentile powers that will be followed by the establishment of God’s final kingdom. In the interpretation of biblical prophecy, the seventh chapter of Daniel occupies a unique place. The vision of Daniel provides the most comprehensive and detailed prophecy of future events to be found anywhere in the Old Testament.