July 18: BEAR IN MIND
“And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’” Daniel 7:5
As one kingdom falls, another rises. Babylon, represented by the head of gold in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (2:38), fell under the joint takeover of the Medes and the Persians, led by Cyrus. The bear symbolism we meet today corresponds to the chest and arms of silver in the great image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Daniel had pointed out to King Nebuchadnezzar that the kingdom to follow Babylon would be inferior to yours (2:39a). The beauty and splendor that Nebuchadnezzar had cultivated in the development of Babylon—a display of vast wealth—was less so in the rise of Medo-Persia, just as silver compares to gold. Silver is a harder metal than gold and less valuable. The trend we will find in the succession of kingdoms is that each one is more brutal and less refined than the one before it. Bear this in mind…
Comparing symbols, the bear is more cumbersome and less sleek than the lion. The bear’s size and ferocity are fitting. The Medes and Persians added territory to what had been the Babylonian Empire. When these two nations first joined forces, the Medes were dominant. But over time, the Persians predominated. This aspect is a fulfillment of the vision: raised up on one side and is made clear in the next chapter (see 8:3,20).
As the “new bosses”, the Medes and Persians embarked on a campaign of vengeance and terror to firmly establish themselves. Their sweep from the east went westward into the province of Babylon, northward into Lydia, and southward into Egypt. This is the fulfillment of the three ribs in [the bear’s] mouth between its teeth. We are given a powerful clue regarding the tactics of this bearlike entity: And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’ The givers of this command are identified only as they. The will of our adversary is exerted through those who hear and obey the voice of his minions. These fallen angels are deceived by the chief of deception, and thus they perpetuate and multiply the wishes of Satan (see Revelation 12:4; Isaiah 9:15; 2 Timothy 3:13).
God foresaw the terrible scenes of revolution, strife, and conquest that result from the four winds of heaven…stirring up the Great Sea (v.2). History records as much. Martin Luther wrote: And though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us, We will not fear for God has willed His strength to triumph through us! It is a fact that no amount of activity instigated by Satan can override the sovereignty of God. His divine love is the greatest power of all, and is at the very heart of the true gospel message, symbolized by a white horse, and sent into the world to conquer hearts. Now, that is something to bear in mind!
…when the Lamb opened one of the seals, I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat upon it had a bow; and a crown was given to him and he went out conquering and to conquer. Revelation 6:1-2 (see also John 16:33; 1 John 4:4; 5:4)