July 16: FROM BABYLON GOING FORWARD…
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, recording the main facts. Daniel 7:1
The first six chapters of Daniel’s book consist largely of history. The last six deal mostly with prophecy. Now we launch into the prophetic section of the book. Chronologically, we are going back to the first year of Belshazzar’s rule—the same Belshazzar, King of Babylon in chapter five. As a writer, Daniel regards the two main themes, history and prophecy, above chronology. This explains why we go back, chronologically, in chapter seven.
Daniel’s dream, which occurred while he was still serving under Babylon’s world dominion, was given to him by God as a panorama of world history, beginning in his day and going forward, all the way through to the second coming of Christ. It is helpful to bear in mind that the language of Scripture is to be taken literally, unless it is explained as figurative. Daniel’s book is a masterpiece inspired by God’s Holy Spirit for training the minds of God’s children to readily comprehend the deeper meanings behind figurative, symbolic language.
Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea.” (v.2)
The number four is associated with our earth and the four major directions: north, south, east, and west. These four winds are associated with war and strife from all directions (see Jeremiah 49:36, Matthew 24:31, Revelation 7:1). The heaven here refers to earth’s atmosphere, currently the domain of Satan and his fallen angels (Ephesians 6:12). Spiritual forces of wickedness often motivate man’s struggle for world dominion (Ephesians 6:12). The Great Sea would seem to be the Mediterranean. In Daniel’s day, the then-known world centered around it. The vast majority of the world’s population resided in the lands around the Mediterranean at that time. Trade and business activity depended upon it for travel (Psalm 107:21-31). But the Bible develops the concept of great waters as a symbol for peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages (Revelation 17:15). Daniel begins to get an overview of struggles between nations and empires, specifically those kings and kingdoms having a direct impact upon the people whom God had chosen to carry His message of salvation to the world.
As Daniel is opening his field of vision to us, bear in mind that the prophet Jeremiah is his contemporary. Jeremiah prophesied of the seventy years of Babylonian exile for God’s people, during which Jeremiah ministered in Jerusalem, and Daniel in Babylon. Daniel was well aware of Jeremiah’s writings (9:2), and may have heard Jeremiah preach before being taken captive to Babylon. Lies about God “swallowed” by His people, and which were spreading to all flesh, broke the heart of Jeremiah. God said to him: “Therefore prophesy against them all these words, and say to them: ‘The LORD will roar from on high, And utter His voice from His holy habitation; He will roar mightily against His fold. He will give a shout, as those who tread the grapes, Against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise will come to the ends of the earth—For the LORD has a controversy with the nations; He will plead His case with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to the sword,’ says the LORD. (Jeremiah 25:30-31)