Dan 2:31-45; 7:1-28, The Age of the Gentiles

Luke 21:24 (ESV) They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.



• Jesus alludes to the ending of the time of the Gentiles


Dan 2:31-35 (ESV) "You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32  The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, 33  its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.



• Observation of this "image"
• Imagery
• Great image - these are great empires
• Exceeding brightness - not sure if this is an allusion to Satan who is also called the angel of light
• Stood before God - in the sense that it opposes God
• Frightening appearance - these empires scare people, because they don't care about people but about power and riches
• Parts
• Head of fine gold
• Chest and arms of silver
• Middle and thighs of bronze
• Legs of iron
• Feet of partly iron and partly clay
• Stone, not cut out by human hands (emphasizes a divine origin; possible also perfect)
• Strike the image on the feet (broken in pieces)
• Then the whole image is broken in pieces
• Wind blows it all away
• Stone (that destroyed the image) becomes a great mountain that fills the whole earth
• Interesting things about the metals
• Increase in strength
• Decrease in value
• Possible interpretations
• Each one was more powerful than the other (increase), and there was a decrease of the character authority and rule (value side)

Babylon	absolute monarchy; monarch above the law
Medo-Persia	monarch not above the law who could not change his own laws
Hellenstic kings	no dynastic or royal right to rule
Roman imperialism	republic that degenerated into mob rule merging with the imperial form of government
	Imperialism: The policy of extending a nation's authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political hegemony over other nations. From <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/imperialism>

• Now we move on to the interpretation


Dan 2:36-45 "This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. 39  Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. 41 And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure."



• The time of the Gentiles begins with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Solomonic temple in 586 BC by the Babylonian empire
• This is the head of gold
• It is the first nation to destroy Jerusalem
• There will be temporary control return but full return will not happen until the end of times
• Babylon (and specifically Nebuchadnezzar) is granted control over the whole world, although he does not choose to exercise this control
• See Jeremiah 27:5-8
• [But the culture / worldview of Babylon does take over the whole world, Rev 17]
• The two arms of silver united in the breast are the two nations, the Medes and the Persians who establish the Medo-Persian empire
• It is inferior to the Babylonian empire
• It lacked the inner unity of the Babylonians
• The people were never fused into one people
• The government was not above the law
• The Greek or Hellenistic empire is the third empire symbolized by the belly and two thighs of bronze.
• The two thighs may represent the embracing of east and west. ((Another possibility is that they represent Syria and Egypt which arose out of it and also controlled Jerusalem.))
• It has the same grant as Babylon but does not choose to exercise the grant
• Greek thinking does take over the western world
• Later we will get more detail on this empire as it splits into four
• The fourth image is the fourth Gentile empire. It goes through several stages
• United stage (vs 40)
• Two division stage (vs 41) but with still the strength of iron
• Ten division stage represented by the ten toes
• Fifth empire will be of divine origin (a mountain is a symbol for an empire)
• Fruchtenbaum says it is Jewish but I don't see that
• Clearly it is established by God
• Clearly it ends the Gentile empires


Dan 7:1-8 (ESV) 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, "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. 4 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. 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.' 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. 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; it 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. 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 are multiple visions. The first vision considers only three empires
• The great sea is probably the Mediterranean (to Daniel)
• Most see the sea representing the Gentile world
• The four winds are the same number as the four beasts suggesting that it is God orchestrating their coming
• Four Gentile empires arising out of the sea
• First empire/ beast: like a lion and had eagle wings
• Nebuchadnezzar does actually become like a beast at some point before his mind returns to him
• Babylon was a lion. It devoured the countries of the world. Nebuchadnezzar really was the lion, the absolute authority
• The symbol of Babylon was a lion with wings
• Second empire / beast: lopsided bear with 3 ribs in its teeth
• Historically, the 3 ribs represent the 3 kingdoms conquered by the Medo-Persian forces: Lydia, Babylonia, and Egypt
• The bear is not as majestic as the lion
• The bear is bulky and weighty. It conquered areas by sheer force of numbers
• Third empire / beast: leopard-like with four wings of a bird. Also four heads and dominion given to it
• The leopard is faster than the lion or bear. Incredibly, Alexander the great conquered the Medo-Persian empire in an unbelievably short time
• The four wings represent the four kingdoms that grew out of Alexander's empire
• The four heads are the four generals who take control of the four kingdoms
• Ptolemy over Egypt, Israel, and Arabia Petrea
• Seleucus over Syria, Babylonia, and all the way to India
• Cassander over Macedonia and Greece
• Lysimachus over Thrace and Bithynia
• The second vision (or possibly a series of night visions) follows in verses 7-12
• Fourth empire / beast
• Terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong (It is characterized but not described by a specific animal)
• Great iron teeth; devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet
• KEY: it was different from all the beasts before
• It has ten horns
• An eleventh horn, a little horn, uproots three of the horns
• Eyes like the eyes of a man
• Mouth speaking great things
• KEY: the fourth gentile empire undergoes changes and is different from the other empires


Dan 7:9-14 (ESV) 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.


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.


• This section contains the third vision, verses 9-12, and the fourth vision, verses 13-14
• The third vision takes place where? In heaven
• It is a courtroom
• God the Father, the ancient of days sits
• Judgment is being delivered
• The Angels are standing ready to execute the judgment
• Who is being judged?
• The fourth Gentile empire
• The little horn
• Characterized by big words (blasphemy)
• Satan
• The other three beast are maintained for a period of time (see next passage)
• The fourth vision is a vision of what?
• The second coming (of Jesus Christ), vs 13
• The establishment of the millennial kingdom, vs 14
• Next we get the interpretation


Dan 7:15-28 (ESV) "As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. 16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 17  'These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.'


19 "Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, 20  and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. 21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.


23 "Thus he said: 'As for the fourth beast,


there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,
which shall be different from all the kingdoms,
and it shall devour the whole earth,
and trample it down, and break it to pieces.
24 As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,
and another shall arise after them;
he shall be different from the former ones,
and shall put down three kings.
25  He shall speak words against the Most High,
and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,
and shall think to change the times and the law;
and they shall be given into his hand
for a time, times, and half a time.
26  But the court shall sit in judgment,
and his dominion shall be taken away,
to be consumed and destroyed to the end.
27  And the kingdom and the dominion
and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven
shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;
 their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,
and all dominions shall serve and obey them.'


• The beasts come from the earth
• They are human, not divine, kingdoms
• Daniel's interest is primarily in the fourth beast, likely because of how "different" it is from the other (verses 19-22). The word "different" is a constant theme with the fourth empire
• Add a little more to the original vision
• Little horn was greater than the other horns
• Little horn has eyes and mouth that spoke great things
• Little horn will make war against the saints
• Little horn's war against the saints will succeed
• Only the Ancient of Days judgment stops the little horn and gives to the saints the kingdom
• Interpretation
• The fourth kingdom is different from all the kingdoms
• It begins in a united stage
• It then devours the whole earth (one world government)
• The phrase, "as for the ten horns" immediately addresses Daniel's questions (potentially leaving out intervening stages)
• Ten kingdoms and ten kings arise from the fourth empire
• Another king arises and puts down three of the kings
• This king (the Antichrist)
• Speaks words against the most High
• Wears out the saints of the most High
• Thinks to change the times and the law
• Suggestion of religious rule changes
• Develops his own feasts
• Institutes new modes of worship
• Institutes new articles of faith
• Appoints his own leaders
• He rules for 3 1/2 years
• Judgment will ultimately end the fourth empire (this is the purpose of tribulation)
• It will be consumed and destroyed AT THE END. The "end" is the second coming of Christ as we will see later
• A new kingdom follows
• This kingdom is given to the saints
• We shall rule with Christ in this kingdom
• The fourth kingdom is not Rome but imperialism (that is why it is different)
• It is control achieved either through actual in-place leaders or other forms of coercion. It does not necessarily mean armed military control (although the military is always behind it)
• The fourth empire exists until the return of Christ
• Stages
• United stage is Rome
• Two division stage starts in 364 AD
• Roman empire divides into an east-west axis
• Eastern remained in Constantinople until conquered in the Turkish invasion. Rulers called themselves "Czars" which is Russian for Caesar. Eventually Russia gave itself the title of the Third Roman Empire. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, the eastern power is still shifting
• Western division remained in Rome until 476. Then shifted to France with Charlemagne, calling itself the Holy Roman Empire of the Frankish nation. Otto I defeated the Franks and set up the Holy Roman empire of the German nation. They called themselves "Kaisers" which is German for Caesar. After WW I, the power has been shifting among the western nations
• Ultimately the two-division stage will break down and lead to a one-world government (it will devour the whole earth, Rome never did)
• This will lead to a ten kingdom stage
• This is followed by the Antichrist rule (8 Kingdoms, with 7 giving allegiance to the one king, and three having been conquered by the one king)
• APPLICATION: We can disagree on how much of life is manipulated by God. But God controls the times and season of rulers.