Holy Scriptures and Israel

Narrator: Shalom. Holy Scriptures and Israel is a ministry designed to share with the Jewish people the good news of the Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah, and to instruct Christians on the Jewish roots of their faith. And now, teaching God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective, here is Gideon Levytam.

Gideon Levytam: The study of Daniel chapter 7. And that is very interesting.

In verse 7 and 8, let me read those two verses, we see the second vision. After this I saw, notice, after this, after you had seen those agitated sea, Gentile nations, the three beasts, the lion, the bear and the leopard, Babylon, Middle Persian and Greece.

Then he says in verse 7, "After this, I saw in the night visions. And I and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible." "And strong exceedingly, and it had great iron teeth. It devoured and break 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 10 horns."

"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 a man, and a mouth speaking great things."

Now, pause with me for a minute. This is interesting. You notice what he says now in verse 7 and 8. First of all, he shows us in verse 7, the fourth beast. What does he say first of all? This beast, he does not give it even a name.

The other three, lion, bear, leopard. But when it's come to the fourth beast, it, what we call it, a beast with only the description but without a name.

In fact, you notice the way he said it in verse 7, "I saw in the night visions, and behold, the fourth beast, dreadful and terrible." Dreadful and terrible. If you go just down a little bit in verse 8, verse 7 he said it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it. These two expressions that he gives to this, to this fourth beast. He doesn't give it a name.

In fact, as you see the picture and you can see it later on in the interpretation of the dream, it has some characteristics of each of the other animals, beasts that had been before. But he doesn't give it a name. All what he says, "It is a dreadful and a terrible beast." And in verse 7 he continued in the bottom of this verse, "It was diverse from all the other beasts. It was a different animal." But one thing for sure, it is dreadful and it is terrible.

Again, I want to remind you from our perspective, looking at it from today, knowing from what we have studied already in chapter 2, we know that the fourth kingdom that followed after the Babylonian, Middle Persian, Grecian was the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire. In fact, we know very well when the Messiah came in his first coming, Israel was under the occupation of the Roman Empire.

And what we learn from this now, that it gives us a description of this particular this particular kingdom. It was dreadful, it was terrible. But we see here that there are various stages that existing in this particular Roman Empire, this particular fourth beast, the Roman Empire. There are various stages. Listen to those particular stages. We have them in verses 7 and verse 8.

It's called a nondescriptive beast. And it is no name, it speak of the Roman Empire, dreadful and terrible. Verse 7 tells us two of the stages of the Roman Empire. First of all, it's historic, one of them, and the next one is a future from our point of view. Notice, it says in verse 7, it says this beast, the fourth beast was dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly, and it had a great iron teeth. It devoured and break in pieces and stamped the residue with the feet of it, and it was diverse from all the other beasts.

That represents the, if we from looking back at the history of the Roman Empire, we know that in chapter 2 it was represented by the iron. And it's really represent what we can say it is a devouring stage. It was a stage in the historically, where the Roman Empire was really devouring, the strengths of the Roman Empire, the cruelty that have existed in the early, if you will, in the beginning of the Roman Empire, looking back from our point of view.

And so if you look at this, this particular this particular fourth beast will express and will develop with more than one stage. More than one stage. We'll see it also in the interpretation, when we're going to get to it in the end, the second half of chapter 7.

So, in the beginning we see it, we can call it a devour stage, a stage where this Roman Empire had been hard, strong like iron, and devouring. He says like it had great iron teeth. That's speaking, when you think about iron teeth, I don't know about you, but I don't have iron teeth. I have too many cavities in my teeth. But can you imagine iron teeth suggests of biting hard and just chewing with an iron teeth? And then it says devouring, breaking in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it. In other words, when you think about it, it is a devouring stage, devouring stage. Looking back from our point of view, from our time.

But notice now, it also takes us to another stage, and we can call it in verse 7 at the end, and it had 10 horns. 10 horns.

Now, you ask many Bible teachers today, and they will often time will speak about the European Union. And they will speaking about the 10, you remember the 10, the Union of the 10 European nations united together. But unfortunately, when you look today, there are many more that have joined. I think they have already 15, and there are others who are going to be joined to them yet. And in other words, it still have never been in the history of the Roman Empire or the revived Roman Empire, those 10, if you will, 10 kingdoms are yet as divided into 10 kingdom. They have many more, and it's, it takes us perhaps into much more than merely the European nation, but a worldwide if nations which will be divided itself into 10 kingdoms. How do I know that the 10 horns represent 10 kingdom? Look in the same chapter, chapter 7, verse 24.

Why do I say that the 10 horns represent 10 kings or 10 kingdoms? Look at verse 24. It gives us the Bible interpret itself. In verse 24 it said, "And the 10 horn out of this kingdom are 10 kings that shall arise." You see? So, 10 horns represent 10 kings, but even more than just 10 kings, 10 kingdoms, because kings and kingdoms in the book of Daniel are coincide with each other. It may be more than one particular king for a kingdom. For example, the kingdom of Babylon had more than one king.

If you remember, we started with Nebuchadnezzar, and we ended up with Belshazzar in the kingdom of the Babylonian, but there were more in between. And so, when it says in Daniel chapter 7, when it speaks about the 10 horns, in verse 24, it helps us to understand that those 10 horns really represent 10 kingdoms. And by the way, there's going to be 10 kingdoms which will exist at the same time.

So, Daniel chapter 7, verse 7 has the two stages. Stage number one, devouring stage, that's the past. Stage number two, 10 horn, 10 kingdoms stage, taking us to the future as far as we are concerned. In other words, what does this tell us? That this particular non-descriptive beast will have various stages. And so, if you remember, it had stopped for a while, or at least divided for a while, and not longer functioning in the same way like in the past, but it's going to be revived and functioning again. We see it in this, in this image, we see it very clearly here on the image. You notice this image here?

We have the Roman Empire start, the beginning of it. But then we have the present day age of the church age, in which we live in today. So, the Roman or the revived Roman Empire are going to have to revive after the rapture of the church, when, or when the church is not going to be here, if you will. Then there, there will be that revived Roman Empire, and specifically I'm speaking about the seven year of tribulation, after the believers of this present day, the church age is going to be taken out of here, the Roman Empire will be revived. And the, and at the end of the final Roman Empire, notice, by the way, we saw here the 10 toes. And the 10 toes on the image also represented 10 kingdoms which will exist at the time of the tribulation period.

And so you can see the similarity. You can see the similarity. This particular beast had 10 horns on its head. Now, I'm going to show you another, another slide that you can kind of understand it. You notice now the next one, what we see, the Roman, the Roman Empire. Now, you only see here at this moment eight horns, and I'm going to show you why, because there is another stage in the Roman Empire.

Notice now verse 8 of Daniel chapter 7, give us the third stage, and we can call that little, the little horn stage. The little horn stage. Let me read verse 8. Romans 7 and verse 8. "I considered the horns, and then and behold there came up among them another little horn." Now, let me make you a calculation. 10 + 1 is 11, right? 10 + 1 is 11. In other words, there were 10 kingdoms, 10 kings, and there was another king that rose. It's called the little horn. We're going to talk a lot about this little horn. This little horn, of course, represent to us the Antichrist, the counterfeit Messiah, which will arise at that particular time. It says here, "another little horn, before whom, notice, there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots." In other words, if there were 10 plus the one is 11, three of them have been plucked out by the roots. He killed them, he destroyed them. He remained, so there are seven plus the one makes it eight. Very clearly.

Now, we, just to see the parallel, this is interesting. Here in this, in this slide again, what we see. Chapter 2, the revived Roman Empire, the 10 toes, and the second coming of the Messiah. Chapter 7, the revived Roman Empire. Here it is, the little horn eventually destroying three, plucking them out of the roots, and he remaining plus the seven makes it eight.

Now, in the second vision that Daniel has seen, what does he see? In verse 7, the fourth beast, which had three stages. Stage number one, devouring stage, history. Stage number two, the 10 horn stage, future. Stage number five, the three, the little horn stage, future.

Okay? Now, back to Daniel chapter 7, and then the next verses, verses 9 to 12. The third vision that Daniel is seeing. Remember he see visions.

Now, in verses 9 to verse 12, we have the third vision, and Daniel now is really the story is shift from Earth to heaven, from the sea to the court of the Holy God in heaven. So, now there's a shift in the scene. Scene number one, agitated sea, four animals, four beasts, lion, bear, leopard, and the non-descriptive animal beast, which is the final beast, which three stages, Roman Empire. Devouring stage, 10 horn stage, 10 kingdom stage, and the little horn stage.

Now we are shifting from a scene on Earth to a scene in heaven. Verse 9 and 10. What does he see first of all? The first thing that he see, he sees the Ancient of Days. And I'm reading. "And I beheld till the thrones were" By the way, I should stop here for a second. This is very important, I don't want to miss on it. In verse 8, there's two things that I haven't said on verse 8. I apologize. In verse 8 it says after it speak about this little horn that he plucked three by the roots. "And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things."

Now, this little horn, apparently, we see two things here. His eyes, it says here that he had the eyes like a man, and it's really speak about human intelligence. He was a man. His eyes like the eyes of a man, is really represent us a man. He's really represent to us the future counterfeit Messiah, that his eyes, as it says here, is the eyes like eyes of a man, of men. But notice, it says that he has a mouth speaking great things. Now, that is not great things in a sense of good things, but he was speaking, he was blaspheming and speaking against God and again God's people and God's temple.

Just to turn, please, for a verse, I would like to read a verse in the book of Revelation for a minute, chapter 13. Revelation chapter 13. Revelation chapter 13 and verse 5, speaking about this beast, the counterfeit Messiah, in verse 5 and 6 it said, "And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things." And blasphemies. "And power was given unto him to continue for 42 months, and he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven." And you see, so what we see here, that that beast of Revelation chapter 13, verses 5 and 6, is the same little horn that we see him in Daniel chapter 7.

He had eyes like a man and a mouth speaking great things, or blasphemy against God, God's tabernacle, and God's people. That's the way the counterfeit Messiah, this evil man, who will rise up in the future day, he will speak against God. He had a mouth speaking great things. So now, it shifts from the sea to heaven. And in verses 9 to 12, it's the third vision. First of all, we see in verses 9 and 10, the Ancient of Days.

In verse 9, "And I beheld till the thrones were cast down and the Ancient of Days did sit." "Whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like a pure wool." "His throne was like a fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire." "A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him, thousands, thousands ministered unto him, 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him. The judgment was set and the books were opened."

So now we see a shift, and we see the throne of God. God the Father is sitting. We know he is called here the Ancient of Days. And so what Daniel sees, now God is sitting on the judgment seat to judge. And remember, it is not here the Great White Throne Judgment. The Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation chapter 20 comes later after the millennial age. And the Great White Throne Judgment comes upon every person who the judgment going to come upon every person who haven't accepted the Messiah, and he going to be cast, he or she going to be cast into the lake of fire for eternal separation from God.

But here it is the judgment in the tribulation period, that God is ready to pour upon the Gentile nations by, in a sense, it is with how they have treated the nation of Israel, in particular, in the tribulation period. And so what we see here, that God the Ancient of Days sitting down, he was sitting, whose garment was white as snow. That is a representation of his purity. He can see all things, he's holy, he's pure. Garment's white. It's also say his hair, the hair of his head was like pure wool.

And again, we can just imagine, we looked at it in the book of Revelation when we studied it, but it's like the hair would speak to us also of his purity and holiness, and if you will, the fact that he is Ancient of Days, he can see through and through from everlasting to everlasting. He is God. Then we also see that his head was like pure wool and his throne was like a fiery flame, and his wheels are burning as burning fire. In other words, the throne and the wheels will really represent to us speaking about the fiery flame, representing the fact that the devouring fire of God's holiness to judge those nations and how they have behaved in the time where God had given them responsibility. And so in verses 9, we see the Ancient of Days. By the way, you notice that in verse 10 it said that a fiery stream issued and came forth from before him, thousands and thousands ministered unto him, and 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him.