The book of Daniel is an amazing book of prophecies leading to the eternal Kingdom of God and Christ. Daniel not only interpreted the visions of others, but he himself received many visions because he was “greatly beloved” of God.
We see in Daniel how God revealed the progression of “kingdoms” or empires from the time of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to the time of the eternal Kingdom of God and Christ. Therefore Christians can take heart from the fact that regardless of all the evil surrounding us, and all the judgments which will be coming upon the earth, Christ will eventually establish everlasting righteousness, peace, and justice on this earth. This is history written in advance until the eternal state is revealed. So what we have are the following empires:
1. The Babylonian empire
2. The Medo-Persian empire
3. The Greco-Macedonian empire
4. The Roman empire
5, A hiatus of over 2,000 years (not revealed to or by Daniel)
6, The Antichrist’s empire
7. The eternal Kingdom of God and Christ
1. The Babylonian empire: a lion with eagle’s wings
This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass...Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. (Dan 2:32,37)
Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. (Dan 7:2-4)
2. The Medo-Persian empire: a bear with ribs in its mouth
This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver... (Dan 2:32)
In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median [Mede] took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old. (Dan 5:30,31)
And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. (Dan 7:5)
Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.... The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. (Dan 8:3,20)
3. The Greco-Macedonian empire: a leopard with four wings
This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass...(Dan 2:32)
After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. (Dan 7:6)
And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power... And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.(Dan 8:5,6,21)
4.The Roman empire: a dreadful and terrible beast with iron teeth
His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay... (Dan 2:33)
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns (Dan 7:7)
5. The Antichrist’s empire: a little horn speaking great things
His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay... (Dan 2:33)
I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. (Dan 7:8)
And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. (Dan 8:9-12)
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes [Christ]; but he shall be broken without hand. (Dan 8:23-25)
6. The eternal Kingdom of God and Christ: a stone that becomes a great mountain
Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.(Dan 2:34,35)
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. (Dan 7:13,14)
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. (Dan 9:24)
We see in Daniel how God revealed the progression of “kingdoms” or empires from the time of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to the time of the eternal Kingdom of God and Christ. Therefore Christians can take heart from the fact that regardless of all the evil surrounding us, and all the judgments which will be coming upon the earth, Christ will eventually establish everlasting righteousness, peace, and justice on this earth. This is history written in advance until the eternal state is revealed. So what we have are the following empires:
1. The Babylonian empire
2. The Medo-Persian empire
3. The Greco-Macedonian empire
4. The Roman empire
5, A hiatus of over 2,000 years (not revealed to or by Daniel)
6, The Antichrist’s empire
7. The eternal Kingdom of God and Christ
1. The Babylonian empire: a lion with eagle’s wings
This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass...Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. (Dan 2:32,37)
Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. (Dan 7:2-4)
2. The Medo-Persian empire: a bear with ribs in its mouth
This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver... (Dan 2:32)
In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median [Mede] took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old. (Dan 5:30,31)
And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. (Dan 7:5)
Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.... The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. (Dan 8:3,20)
3. The Greco-Macedonian empire: a leopard with four wings
This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass...(Dan 2:32)
After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. (Dan 7:6)
And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power... And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.(Dan 8:5,6,21)
4.The Roman empire: a dreadful and terrible beast with iron teeth
His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay... (Dan 2:33)
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns (Dan 7:7)
5. The Antichrist’s empire: a little horn speaking great things
His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay... (Dan 2:33)
I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. (Dan 7:8)
And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. (Dan 8:9-12)
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes [Christ]; but he shall be broken without hand. (Dan 8:23-25)
6. The eternal Kingdom of God and Christ: a stone that becomes a great mountain
Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.(Dan 2:34,35)
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. (Dan 7:13,14)
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. (Dan 9:24)
