Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others--extremely terrifying--devouring and crushing with iron teeth and bronze claws, then trampling underfoot whatever was left. Then I wanted to knowThis phrase reflects Daniel's deep desire for understanding and insight. The Hebrew root for "wanted" (חָפֵץ, chafets) conveys a strong inclination or delight in seeking knowledge. Daniel's pursuit of divine wisdom is a model for believers, emphasizing the importance of seeking God's truth with earnestness and dedication. the true meaning
The quest for "true meaning" underscores the importance of discernment and revelation in understanding God's messages. The Hebrew word for "true" (אֱמֶת, emet) signifies faithfulness and reliability. Daniel's inquiry is not just for knowledge but for an understanding that aligns with God's faithful and unchanging nature. of the fourth beast
The "fourth beast" is a symbol of a powerful and oppressive kingdom, distinct from the previous ones. Historically, this is often interpreted as the Roman Empire, known for its unprecedented power and influence. The beast's description in Daniel's vision serves as a reminder of the temporal nature of earthly kingdoms compared to God's eternal dominion. which was different from all the others
This phrase highlights the uniqueness and unparalleled nature of the fourth beast. The Hebrew word for "different" (שָׁנָה, shanah) implies a change or transformation, suggesting that this kingdom would be unlike any before it, both in its structure and its impact on the world. extremely terrifying
The description of the beast as "extremely terrifying" conveys the fear and awe it inspired. The Hebrew root for "terrifying" (יָרֵא, yare) is often used in the context of reverence or fear of God, indicating the overwhelming power and dread this kingdom would instill in those it conquered. devouring and crushing
These actions of "devouring and crushing" depict the beast's destructive nature. The Hebrew words (אָכַל, akal for "devouring" and דָּקַק, daqaq for "crushing") emphasize the totality of its conquest and the thoroughness with which it subdues its enemies. This imagery serves as a warning of the destructive potential of unchecked power. with iron teeth and bronze claws
The "iron teeth and bronze claws" symbolize strength and durability. Iron and bronze were materials associated with military might and technological advancement in ancient times. This imagery suggests a kingdom equipped with the means to dominate and control, reflecting the Roman Empire's military prowess. and trampling underfoot whatever was left
The phrase "trampling underfoot whatever was left" illustrates the beast's relentless and merciless nature. The Hebrew word for "trampling" (רָמַס, ramas) conveys a sense of complete domination and disregard for anything that remains. This serves as a metaphor for the oppressive nature of earthly powers that seek to obliterate all opposition. Persons / Places / Events 1. DanielA prophet and a key figure in the Book of Daniel, known for his faithfulness to God and his ability to interpret dreams and visions. 2. The Fourth BeastRepresents a kingdom or empire that is distinct from the previous ones, characterized by its terrifying nature and destructive power. 3. Iron Teeth and Bronze ClawsSymbolic elements that emphasize the strength and destructive capability of the fourth beast. 4. Vision of the Four BeastsA prophetic vision given to Daniel, depicting four beasts that represent successive empires or kingdoms. 5. BabylonThe setting of Daniel's life and ministry, where he served under several kings and received his visions. Teaching Points Understanding Prophetic ImageryThe use of vivid imagery in Daniel's vision serves to convey the seriousness and impact of future events. As believers, we should seek wisdom and discernment in interpreting prophetic scriptures. God's Sovereignty Over KingdomsDespite the terrifying nature of the fourth beast, the vision ultimately reveals God's control over all earthly kingdoms. This reassures us of God's ultimate authority and plan. Faithfulness in Uncertain TimesDaniel's desire to understand the vision reflects his commitment to God amidst uncertainty. We are called to remain faithful and seek God's wisdom in our own uncertain times. The Reality of Spiritual WarfareThe destructive nature of the fourth beast reminds us of the spiritual battles we face. We must be vigilant and equipped with the armor of God. Hope in God's Ultimate VictoryWhile the vision of the fourth beast is daunting, it is part of a larger account that culminates in God's ultimate victory. This gives us hope and confidence in God's promises. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the description of the fourth beast in Daniel 7:19 compare to the other beasts in the vision, and what might this signify about its nature and role in history? 2. In what ways does the vision of the fourth beast challenge or strengthen your understanding of God's sovereignty over earthly kingdoms? 3. How can Daniel's response to the vision serve as a model for us when we encounter difficult or confusing situations in our own lives? 4. What parallels can you draw between the fourth beast in Daniel 7 and the beast described in Revelation 13, and how do these connections enhance your understanding of biblical prophecy? 5. How can the assurance of God's ultimate victory over evil, as depicted in Daniel's vision, influence your daily walk with Christ and your perspective on current world events? Connections to Other Scriptures Daniel 2The vision of the statue with different metals parallels the vision of the four beasts, with the fourth beast corresponding to the legs of iron and feet of iron and clay. Revelation 13The beast from the sea in Revelation shares similarities with the fourth beast in Daniel, suggesting a connection between the two prophetic visions. 2 Thessalonians 2The description of the "man of lawlessness" can be related to the oppressive and blasphemous nature of the fourth beast. People Belshazzar, DanielPlaces BabylonTopics TRUE, Beast, Bits, Brake, Brass, Break, Broke, Bronze, Cause, Certainty, Claws, Crushed, Crushing, Desire, Desired, Devoured, Different, Diverse, Dreadful, Exact, Exceeding, Exceedingly, Fear, Fearful, Fourth, Iron, Meaning, Nails, Pieces, Remainder, Remnant, Residue, Rest, Stamped, Stamping, Teeth, Terrible, Terrifying, Trampled, Truth, Underfoot, Victims, Whatever, WishedDictionary of Bible Themes Daniel 7:19 4312 bronze
4336 iron
5189 teeth Daniel 7:7-25 4654 horn Daniel 7:19-23 4609 beast, the Daniel 7:19-26 4627 creatures Library Christ's Own Testimony Concerning Himself.
THERE is but one rational explanation, of this sublime mystery; and this is found in Christ's own testimony concerning his superhuman and divine origin and character.[49]49 This testimony challenges at once our highest regard and belief from the absolute veracity which no one ever denied him, or could deny, without destroying at once the very foundation of his universally conceded moral purity and greatness. Christ strongly asserts his humanity, and calls himself; about eighty times in the Gospels, …
Philip Schaff—The Person of ChristThe Christ of the Gospels. By Rev. Professor Schaff.
THE life and character of Jesus Christ is truly the Holy of Holies in the history of the world. Eighteen hundred years have passed away since he, in the fullness of time, appeared on this earth to redeem a fallen race from sin and death, and to open a never-ceasing fountain of righteousness and life. The ages before him anxiously awaited his coming as "the Desire of all nations;" the ages after him proclaim his glory, and ever extend his dominion. The noblest and best of men under every clime hold …
Philip Schaff—The Romance of M. Renan, and the Christ of the Gospels The Apocalypse.
1. The word Apocalypse (Greek Apokalupsis) signifies Revelation, the title given to the book in our English version as well from its opening word as from its contents. Of all the writings of the New Testament that are classed by Eusebius among the disputed books (Antilegomena, chap. 5. 6), the apostolic authorship of this is sustained by the greatest amount of external evidence; so much so that Eusebius acknowledges it as doubtful whether it should be classed among the acknowledged or …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible The Captivity of Judah.
Eze., Dan., Lam. The Ten Tribes Lost. After the fall of Samaria we hear but little of the ten tribes. They were carried off into the regions of Ninevah by the Assyrians. All effort to locate them has failed and no doubt will fail. Sargon, in an inscription found at Ninevah, said that he carried away into captivity 27,290. These were perhaps leaders of Israel whom he thought might lead a revolt. He sent others back to take their place and the Israelites seemed to have mingled with the races about …
Josiah Blake Tidwell—The Bible Period by Period Communion Again Broken --Restoration
Cant. v. 2-vi.10. The fourth section commences with an address of the bride to the daughters of Jerusalem, in which she narrates her recent sad experience, and entreats their help in her trouble. The presence and comfort of her Bridegroom are again lost to her; not this time by relapse into worldliness, but by slothful self-indulgence. We are not told of the steps that led to her failure; of how self again found place in her heart. Perhaps spiritual pride in the achievements which grace enabled her …
J. Hudson Taylor—Union and Communion The Ecclesiastical Trial
Over the Kedron, up the slope to the city, through the gates, along the silent streets, the procession passed, with Jesus in the midst; midnight stragglers, perhaps, hurrying forward from point to point to ask what was ado, and peering towards the Prisoner's face, before they diverged again towards their own homes.[1] He was conducted to the residence of the high priest, where His trial ensued. Jesus had to undergo two trials--the one ecclesiastical, the other civil; the one before Caiaphas the …
James Stalker—The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ Jesus at Capernaum.
Beset by an idea, gradually becoming more and more imperious and exclusive, Jesus proceeds henceforth with a kind of fatal impassibility in the path marked out by his astonishing genius and the extraordinary circumstances in which he lived. Hitherto he had only communicated his thoughts to a few persons secretly attracted to him; henceforward his teaching was sought after by the public. He was about thirty years of age.[1] The little group of hearers who had accompanied him to John the Baptist had, …
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus The Danger of Deviating from Divine Institutions.
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." St. Paul was the apostle of the Gentiles. The care of the churches gathered among them devolved particularly on him. At the writing of this epistle he had no personal acquaintance with the church to which it is addressed.* Epaphras, a bishop of the Colossians, then his fellow prisoner at Rome, had made him acquainted with their state, and the danger …
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects Jesus Stills the Storm.
(Sea of Galilee; Same Day as Last Section) ^A Matt. VIII. 18-27; ^B Mark IV. 35-41; ^C Luke VIII. 22-25. ^b 35 And that day, { ^c one of those days,} ^b when the even was come [about sunset], ^a when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. { ^b he saith unto them, Let us go over unto the other side.} [Wearied with a day of strenuous toil, Jesus sought rest from the multitude by passing to the thinly settled on the east side of Galilee.] ^a 19 And there …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel A vision of the King.
ONE of the most blessed occupations for the believer is the prayerful searching of God's holy Word to discover there new glories and fresh beauties of Him, who is altogether lovely. Shall we ever find out all which the written Word reveals of Himself and His worthiness? This wonderful theme can never be exhausted. The heart which is devoted to Him and longs through the presence and indwelling of the Holy Spirit to be closer to the Lord, to hear and know more of Himself, will always find something …
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory The Situation after the Council of Nicæa.
The council (a) had testified, by its horrified and spontaneous rejection of it, that Arianism was a novelty subversive of the Christian faith as they had received it from their fathers. They had (b) banished it from the Church by an inexorable test, which even the leading supporters of Arius had been induced to subscribe. In the years immediately following, we find (c) a large majority of the Eastern bishops, especially of Syria and Asia Minor, the very regions whence the numerical strength of the …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius A Treatise of the Fear of God;
SHOWING WHAT IT IS, AND HOW DISTINGUISHED FROM THAT WHICH IS NOT SO. ALSO, WHENCE IT COMES; WHO HAS IT; WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS; AND WHAT THE PRIVILEGES OF THOSE THAT HAVE IT IN THEIR HEARTS. London: Printed for N. Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, over against the Stocks market: 1679. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and "a fountain of life"--the foundation on which all wisdom rests, as well as the source from whence it emanates. Upon a principle …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 The Birth and Early Life of John the Baptist.
(Hill Country of Judæa, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke I. 57-80. ^c 57 Now Elisabeth's time was fulfilled that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbors and her kinsfolk heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy towards her [mercy in granting a child; great mercy in granting so illustrious a child] ; and they rejoiced with her. 59 And it came to pass on the eighth day [See Gen. xvii. 12; Lev. xii. 3; Phil. iii. 5. Male children were named at their circumcision, probably …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Second visit to Nazareth - the Mission of the Twelve.
It almost seems, as if the departure of Jesus from Capernaum marked a crisis in the history of that town. From henceforth it ceases to be the center of His activity, and is only occasionally, and in passing, visited. Indeed, the concentration and growing power of Pharisaic opposition, and the proximity of Herod's residence at Tiberias [3013] would have rendered a permanent stay there impossible at this stage in our Lord's history. Henceforth, His Life is, indeed, not purely missionary, but He has …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah History of the Interpretation.
1. AMONG THE JEWS. This History, as to its essential features, might, a priori, be sketched with tolerable certainty. From the nature of the case, we could scarcely expect that the Jews should have adopted views altogether erroneous as to the subject of the prophecy in question; for the Messiah appears in it, not in His humiliation, but in His glory--rich in gifts and blessings, and Pelagian self-delusion will, a priori, return an affirmative answer to the question as to whether one is …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament His Future Work
The Lord Jesus Christ, who finished the work on earth the Father gave Him to do, who is now bodily present in the highest heaven, occupying the Father's throne and exercising His priesthood in behalf of His people, is also King. To Him belongeth a Kingdom and a kingly Glory. He has therefore a kingly work to do. While His past work was foretold by the Spirit of God and His priestly work foreshadowed in the Old Testament, His work as King and His glorious Kingdom to come are likewise the subjects …
A. C. Gaebelein—The Work Of Christ Links Daniel 7:19 NIVDaniel 7:19 NLTDaniel 7:19 ESVDaniel 7:19 NASBDaniel 7:19 KJV
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