The document outlines the historical setting and visions described in the Book of Daniel, dividing it into two main parts: God's providence and purpose in history. It specifically discusses the vision of the four beasts, the significance of the little horn, and various interpretations regarding its identity, including views on historical figures and theological insights. Key themes include God's sovereignty over nations and the future of Israel within His divine plan.

1. Daniel 7
The Four BeasTs

2. hisTorical seTTing
• The book of Daniel naturally divides itself naturally into two parts...
God’s providence in history - Dan 1:1-6:28 and God’s purpose in
history - Dan 7:1-12:13.
• The second half of the book contains four visions seen by Daniel...
a. The vision of the four beasts - Dan 7:1-28 b. The vision of the ram
and the goat - Dan 8:1-27 c. The vision of the seventy weeks - Dan
9:1-27 d. The vision of the time of the end - Dan 10:1-12:13
• In this last section God reveals to Daniel things about His purpose
and plan in history regarding the nation of Israel and the coming
everlasting kingdom.
• Between the royal edict of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 4 and the
first year of the reign of king Belshazzar was a period of 30 years..
• Fifty years have passed since Daniel was taken as a small boy from
Israel. If Daniel was taken captive at 15 then he would be around 67
for this, his first vision.
• Daniel has fallen into disfavor, living in Babylon largely as a
forgotten man. Belshazzar has not even heard of this man who is
the spokesman of the living God. The bearer of God’s truth has
been marginalized and life goes on at the hub of the Babylonian
empire without any of the influence of the Word of God. It would be
another 14 years before Babylon was conquered

3. seTTing The sTage

4. acT one
Isa 17:12; Re 17:15 “Woe to the multitude of many
people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to
the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of
mighty waters! The nations shall rush like the rushing of many
waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off,
and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the
wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.” “And he
saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore
sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”
Jer 49:36 “And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters
of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no
nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.”
- Sea -
Mass of
Humanity
Wind - Forces God uses to Control

5. The BeasTs

6. Act two – the heAvenly scene

7. Act three - the son of MAn

9. the InterpretAtIon
“A lion is gone up from his
thicket, and a destroyer of
nations; he is on his way,
he is gone forth from his
place, to make your land
desolate, that your cities
be laid waste, without
inhabitant” (Jeremiah 4:7).
He further declared, “Our
pursuers were swifter than
the eagles of the heavens”
(Lamentations 4:19).

10. the InterpretAtIon
The bear had three ribs in
its mouth, likely reflecting
the fact that this empire
had conquered the nations
of Lydia (546 B.C.),
Babylon (539 B.C.), and
Egypt (525B.C.).
LydiaLydia
BabylonBabylon
EgyptEgypt

11. The InTerpreTaTIon
See chapter 8:5, 21,
where the “king of
Greece” moves so
rapidly that his feet
“touched not the
ground.” Alexander
came to the
Macedonian throne
when he was but
twenty years of age; by
the time he was twenty-
five he was virtual
master of the Eastern
world.

12. The InTerpreTaTIon
The scholarship
of 1800 years
have always
ascribed the
vicious beast to
be that of Rome.

13. • The little horn represented a king (entity?) that was “more
stout” than the others (governments).
• It “made war with the saints” and attempted to “wear out”
the people of God.
• It prevailed against the saints until the Lord gave a judgment
on behalf of his people.
• The little horn would “speak words against the Most High”.
• It (he) would “think to change the times and the law” of God.
• The saints were given into his hand for “a time, times, and
half a time.”
The LITTLe horn

14. • If one is premillennial the little horn is unknown person
who will become the “antichrist” prior to the return of
Jesus establishing his earthly reign for a literal 1000
years.
• Another prevailing interpretation is that the little horn
represents spiritual Rome or Catholicism where papal
powers were a force to recon with for 1250 years. To
accommodate this ideal one takes the time and times
and a half and combines it with the Revelation
translating days into years. Some of the brotherhood’s
best scholars take this position like Wayne Jackson
and Burton Coffman.
• Others look at this from a Roman king perspective and
offers Domitian as the king of the little horn.
Three InTrepreTaTIons

15. The Roman King Theory
Their evidence goes as follows:
1. Augustus 31B.C. – A.D. 14
2. Tiberius A.D 14-37
3. Caligula A.D. 37-41
4. Claudius A.D. 41-54
5. Nero A.D. 54-68
6. Galba A.D. 68-69
7. Otho A.D. 69
8. Vitellius A.D. 69
9. Vespasian A.D. 69-79
10.Titus A.D. 79-81
11.Domitian A.D. 81-96

16. CharaCteristiCs
McGuiggan listed the characteristics of the person
identified as the little horn.
• First, he was from the fourth beast, that is a
Roman (7:7, 8, 24).
• Second, he could be counted as an eleventh king.
• Third, he would be boastful (7:8, 20).
• Fourth, he would claim diety (7:25).
• Fifth, he was to be a persecutor of the saints
(7:21, 22, 25).

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