Topical Encyclopedia
The visions of Daniel, as recorded in the Book of Daniel, are a series of prophetic revelations given to the prophet Daniel during the Babylonian and Medo-Persian empires. These visions are significant for their apocalyptic imagery and their insights into future events, both in the immediate context of Daniel's time and in eschatological terms.
1. The Vision of the Four Beasts (Daniel 7):In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. In this vision, Daniel saw four great beasts coming up from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion with eagle's wings, the second like a bear, the third like a leopard with four wings and four heads, and the fourth beast was dreadful, terrible, and exceedingly strong, with iron teeth and ten horns. This vision is interpreted as representing four successive kingdoms, traditionally understood as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. The vision culminates with the Ancient of Days taking His seat and the Son of Man receiving dominion and glory (
Daniel 7:13-14).
2. The Vision of the Ram and the Goat (Daniel 8):In the third year of King Belshazzar's reign, Daniel had another vision, this time involving a ram with two horns and a goat with a prominent horn. The ram, representing the kings of Media and Persia, was defeated by the goat, symbolizing the kingdom of Greece and its first king, commonly identified as Alexander the Great. The vision further describes the rise of a little horn, which is often associated with Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a ruler who persecuted the Jewish people and desecrated the temple (
Daniel 8:20-25).
3. The Vision of the Seventy Weeks (Daniel 9):During the first year of Darius the Mede, Daniel understood from the Scriptures that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. In response to his prayer and supplication, the angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel and revealed the prophecy of the seventy weeks. This prophecy is a timeline of seventy "weeks" or sets of seven years, decreed for the people of Israel and the holy city. It includes the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the coming of the Anointed One, and the eventual desolation brought by an abomination (
Daniel 9:24-27).
4. The Vision of the Glorious Man (Daniel 10-12):In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, Daniel received a final vision after a period of fasting and mourning. He saw a glorious man, whose appearance was like lightning, and his eyes like flaming torches. This vision provides a detailed prophecy concerning future conflicts between the kings of the North and the South, often interpreted as the Seleucid and Ptolemaic dynasties. The vision concludes with a description of the end times, including the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment (
Daniel 12:2-3).
The visions of Daniel are foundational to biblical eschatology and have been the subject of extensive interpretation and study. They reveal God's sovereignty over history and His ultimate plan for redemption and judgment.