What is the meaning of Daniel 7:17? These four great beasts “These four great beasts” (Daniel 7:17) immediately links back to Daniel’s vision in verses 3–8. In Scripture, beasts are often pictures of empires that act with brute force rather than God-ordained righteousness (compare Daniel 7:12; Revelation 13:1–2). • Daniel sees four distinct creatures, each with its own characteristics, mirroring the four parts of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue in Daniel 2:31-35. • The adjective “great” underscores their power and global reach (cf. Daniel 7:3). • Because God Himself gives the interpretation (Daniel 7:16-17), we take the image at face value: these beasts truly symbolize identifiable world powers raised up in history. are four kings The angel clarifies that the beasts “are four kings” (Daniel 7:17). In prophetic literature, “king” often stands for both the ruler and his realm (see Daniel 8:20-22; 7:23). • Just as Nebuchadnezzar was “king of kings” representing Babylon (Daniel 2:37-38), each beast embodies a monarch who personifies an empire. • Scripture shows a pattern: earthly kings rise, yet their authority is limited by the sovereign hand of God (Psalm 75:6-7; Proverbs 21:1). • Viewing the beasts as literal kings keeps harmony with the plain sense of the text and with parallel passages like Revelation 17:12, which speaks of ten kings symbolized by horns. who will arise The phrase highlights timing—these kings “will arise,” indicating they were still future when Daniel wrote (around 550 BC). • The verb anticipates successive stages of history, paralleling Daniel 2:39-40 where kingdoms “will arise after you.” • God reveals future events to strengthen His people’s confidence (Isaiah 46:9-10; John 13:19). • Each empire appears on schedule, demonstrating that world history unfolds under divine appointment rather than random chance (Acts 17:26). from the earth Their origin “from the earth” (Daniel 7:17) stresses their earthly, human, and therefore limited nature. • In contrast to the “Son of Man” who comes “with the clouds of heaven” (Daniel 7:13), these rulers emerge from the turbulent sea of fallen humanity (Daniel 7:2; Revelation 13:1). • Earth-born power is temporary and imperfect (Psalm 2:1-2; 1 John 2:17). • By highlighting the earthly source, God prepares us to value the heavenly kingdom that “will never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44) and that is given to the saints (Daniel 7:27). summary Daniel 7:17 teaches that the four frightening beasts in Daniel’s vision represent four literal kings—and their empires—raised up in human history. Though mighty, they are merely earthly and temporary, arising exactly as God foretells. Their rise sets the stage for the ultimate, heavenly reign of the Son of Man, assuring believers that God’s sovereign plan governs every kingdom of this world. |
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