Daniel and Esther by John F. MacArthur

Author:John F. MacArthur [MacArthur, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2016-05-02T00:00:00+00:00

7

GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY

Daniel 7:1–28

DRAWING NEAR

What are some ways that believers in Christ can know that God is in control of everything that happens in this world? How does the Bible show that God is completely sovereign?

[Your Response Here]

THE CONTEXT

As we have seen, the first six chapters of Daniel contain numerous stories of God’s miraculous provision for His servants of the Lord during the time of the exile. Included in these chapters are stories of Daniel interpreting dreams and signs for Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. Beginning in Daniel 7, the style of the book shifts from a storytelling approach to a straightforward recounting of the visions and prophecies that Daniel received from the Lord.

In this study we will look at one particular dream that God sent to Daniel, which bore some similarities to the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2 in that it addressed the Babylonian Empire and the kingdoms to follow. However, this time the kingdoms would be represented by strange beasts rather than a huge statue. In addition, the events described would extend far into the distant future—to times that have not yet come even today.

The topic of end-times prophecy, known as eschatology, is too large to address in great detail, but this study will give us an overview of God’s plans for the future. More important, we will be reminded that God is sovereign over earthly affairs and human history, that He has a plan and a future for those who put their faith in Christ, and that He will never forsake those whose names are written in the Book of Life.

KEYS TO THE TEXT

Read Daniel 7:1–28, noting the key words and phrases indicated below.

FOUR BEASTS: Daniel has a dream of his own that bears some similarities to the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. However, the events in this dream go farther into the future.

7:1. THE FIRST YEAR OF BELSHAZZAR KING OF BABYLON: Daniel experienced this dream in 553 BC, approximately fourteen years before the handwriting on the wall episode with King Belshazzar that we examined in the previous study.

2. THE GREAT SEA: This superlative refers to the Mediterranean Sea, which is much greater in size than other bodies of water in that area of the world. Here this sea is used to represent nations and peoples.

3. FOUR GREAT BEASTS: These beasts represent the named kingdoms that we saw in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. The ancient world frequently associated the sea with evil, and the writers of Scripture used the sea to represent the realm of satanic activity (see Isaiah 27:1). Something coming up out of the sea would immediately be suspicious in the minds of ancient people.

4. LIKE A LION, AND HAD EAGLE’S WINGS: The lion is the proverbial king of beasts, while the eagle is monarch of the skies. The mixed image suggests both the power and speed of the Babylonian Empire. Statues of winged lions actually stood outside the gates of the royal palaces of Babylon. Jeremiah, a contemporary of Daniel, similarly used both a lion and an eagle to picture Nebuchadnezzar (see Jeremiah 49:19–22).

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