Lent day 13
Daniel’s Vision of the Four Beasts
(Revelation 13:1–10)
1In the first year of the reign of Belshazzar over Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he lay on his bed. He wrote down the dream, and this is the summary of his account.
2Daniel declared: “In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea.a 3Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others:
4The first beast was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and given the mind of a man.
5Suddenly another beast appeared, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. So it was told, ‘Get up and gorge yourself on flesh!’
6Next, as I watched, another beast appeared. It was like a leopard, and on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.
7After this, as I watched in my vision in the night, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, and it was terrifying—dreadful and extremely strong—with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed; then it trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns. 8While I was contemplating the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like those of a man and a mouth that spoke words of arrogance.
Daniel’s Vision of the Ancient of Days
9As I continued to watch,
thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took His seat.
His clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of His head was like pure wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
10A river of fire was flowing,
coming out from His presence.
Thousands upon thousands attended Him,
and myriads upon myriads stood before Him.
The court was convened,
and the books were opened.
11Then I kept watching because of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued to watch, the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was removed, but they were granted an extension of life for a season and a time.
I dont know about you, but I find that incredibly comforting. I also find the description of God to be so encouraging. He is the Ancient of Days. He has always been. He will always be, He has a seat and He sits in it. In ancient times sitting down was important. Rulers sat in the gates to pass judgement and make decisions on the business of the day. Once a transaction or a business deal was concluded the parties would sit down. Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father signifying that business had been concluded. God sits on His throne because since the foundation of the earth the judgement has already been decided, the price has been paid and the job has been done,
He is white. Holy, pure, righteous, powerfully shining. (Im actually pretty sure God isnt dressed in white, because the Bible tells us He is light -but Im guessing that Daniel and John in Revelation trying to describe what they see, call His appearance white as the closest word they can find)
He is surrounded by fire. His throne is ablaze, it is on wheels of fire and a river of fire is flowing out from Him. In other words, God is a volcano.
There are people there. If we are getting a glimpse of heaven then its populated with more people than can be counted or imagined. People who are not burned up by the fire of God and who are apparently there to bear witness to the judgement which is about to be executed.
Commentators agree that the 4 beasts and the 4 sections of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream represent the empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. If you want a further clear and helpful explanation see here https://www.gotquestions.org/Daniel-four-beasts.html
The arrival and death of Jesus at the time of the Romans brought about the end of the Roman empire but also the defeat of the spiritual powers behind it. Col 2;15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. What we have been living in for the past 2000 years is the 'extension of life for a season and a time' of the spiritual entities behind the lion the bear and the leopard. They still exist, but they have no authority or power. They have been disarmed. Why has God allowed them to persist? I dont know. Maybe we shall find out as we keep reading. But today Im encouraged as I remember once again that God is on His throne and that Daniel foresaw a future for his people and for us in which God's rule prevails.
Comments
Post a Comment