Wed.’s Devo - The Four Beasts

Read: Daniel 7:1-28; 1 John 1:1-10; Psalm 119:153-176; Proverbs 28:23-24 During the first year of Belshazzar’s reign, Daniel had a dream. Belshazzar would be the last Babylonian king to rule before the Medes took over. Daniel dreamed of four huge beasts that came out of the water. Daniel was told later that these beasts represented kings. The first was like a lion with wings like eagles. Its wings were pulled off and it was left standing on its feet like a man. It was given a human mind. This creature represented King Nebuchadnezzar who was called the lion because of his strength and courage. He was the chief among the kingdoms like the lion is the king of the beasts. The wings symbolized his widespread kingdom and how rapidly he acquired it. His wings or land was plucked away under Evil-merodach. When Nebuchadnezzar was deranged he was lifted from the earth and finally humbled to stand as a man and not a self-proclaimed god. The next king was represented as a bear that reared up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. He heard a voice telling it to get up and devour the flesh of many people. It represented the Persian kings who were Cyrus, Cambyses II, Darius 1,2&3, Xerxes 1, and Artaxerxes. The Persian princes were known to be extremely cruel. Bears are all-devouring animals. The bear raised itself up on one side showing its domination on one side with the Medes on the other side. (They were the shoulders of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed about.) The Medes were an ancient people who lived on the lower side of Babylonia and were passive people. The Persians were a modern tribe that came from the upper side of Babylonia. They were much more aggressive. They were both roused from rest to conquer. The three ribs represented Egypt, Lydia, and Babylon which were all seized by the Mede-Persian kings. The next beast was like a leopard which had four birds’ wings on its back and four heads. Great authority was given to this beast. A leopard is smaller than a lion, swift, cruel and untamed, who springs suddenly at its prey. It is also spotted. This beast represented Alexander the Great. He was a small king of a small kingdom named Macedon. He attacked Darius when he was king of a huge empire. In 12 years he captured part of Europe, and all of Asia with very little fighting. It had four wings to show how fast it conquered its foes. Its spots represented its cunningness and other scattered nations that it conquered. The first three beasts take up a few centuries but the fourth kingdom would take up thousands of years. It would represent Messiah’s Kingdom. Of the fourth beast, no animal was given to describe it. The forth kingdom was the Roman Empire. It was fiercer than all the other kingdoms. In Nebuchadnezzar’s statue it was the feet of clay and iron. It had ten horns representing kingdoms into which Rome will be divided into when the Antichrist comes. One of these kings or horns will oppose God and have the haughty spirit of the world. He will become the Antichrist. He will rise up three and a half years before Christ’s return. He will be well aware of what he is doing in opposing God. He will be intelligent. Antiochus Epiphanes from Greece was a picture of the Antichrist who produced the first modern civilization. He will be crafty and try to look like a Christian only to defy everything about God. He will offer the things Christ offers (miracles, healings, power, etc.) without the cross. It was everything that Satan offered Jesus when he tempted him. As Daniel continued to watch he saw thrones placed for judgment. God is the Judge and he will judge the Antichrist and all his power will be taken away and given to the holy people of God. This kingdom of God’s will last forever and all rulers will obey him. Peter proclaimed that he worships the king who existed from the beginning and he saw with his own eyes and is the Word of life. He was with the Eternal Father and they actually got to see him. Jesus told them that God is light and there is no darkness in him at all so to have fellowship with God, we have to live in the light. We have all come from darkness but now can walk in the light with Jesus. Lord, may we walk with you in the light and not be deceived by the world’s light. You are the true light and in You there is no darkness. Thank you for your everlasting kingdom.