Daniel 7

IN the first year Now Daniel begins to declare the Visions God showed him at sundry times, therefore he goes back to the first year of Bel hazzar. of Belshazzar It is observed by the Curious, that the word Bel hazzar is here changed by the Prophet, one letter transposed, which alters the signification greatly; for in his name, chap 5.1. which signifies treasures searched out and poss ssed; but the word in the Text is this,, which Bell is consumed with the fire of an enemy, as was prophesied by Ieremy, chap. 50.2. and 51.44. See Ier. 51.25.58. The Iews used to change the Names of Idols and Idolaters, and it turned to a reproach to them, as Gr tius proves well out of Moses de Kotzi. King of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote These visions of Daniel were sent, and recorded by him in writing for the benefit of the Church, to rectifie their mistake; for they thought all things would succeed prosperously after they returned out of their Captivity: yet they should find a world of troubles in many Generations following, seeing of the 4 great Monarchies, which he calls Beasts, there was but one passed, and that they should find three more yet to come. This Daniel dreamed, saw, wrote, and told the sum of it. the dream, and told the sum of the matters. This Prophesie is written in Chaldee, to be a monument and document to him, of the Reverence his Father and Grandfather showed towards God, who had done such mighty works for them, and against them to humble their Pride, and make them know that the high God ruled, and they reigned at his Mercy. Howbeit Bel hazzar made no use of it, but lifted himself up in profaneness and pride till the Wrath of God pluck't him down.

Daniel spake and said I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of the heaven What is meant by Winds because Daniel does not expound, Expositors think there is room left for every ones coniecture wherein that seems most likely, that by the 4 Winds of the great Sea is signified commotions of contrary Nations and Factions striving together by Wars, and producing these 4 Beasts successively. That this is often signified by Winds, see Ier. 49.36. and 51.1. In the destruction of Babylon, the first Monarchy; and of E am. i. e. the Persian Monarchy. strove upon the great Sea The great Sea in Scripture is the Mediterranean Sea called now, Le ant Archipelago, Streights, &c. 1. Comparatively, for the People, called Lakes, Seas, as the Sea of Galilee, Genn zereth, Cinneroth, the dead Sea, or Lake of Sodom, but the Mediterranean was Iamma rabba the great Sea for his length and bread h; above all the akes put together, though it be it self but a Lake in comparison o the Atlantick and Indian Oceans. 2. Gre t Sea, because the great Stage of Action has been on it and adioined to it: and all the four great Monarchies have been Masters of it. 3 Allegorically for it is usual in Scripture to compare People to waters and Nations to Seas, Rev. 13.1. and 17.15. called so from the confused noise of it, Rev. 10.6. and from the unstableness of them always running and rolling with every wind as it blows, indangering those that ride upon the acks of its swelling waves..

And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another That is four great Monarchies, great in comparison of particular Kingdoms that were little to them; Beasts for their Idolatry and Tyrannical Oppressions and Depredations..

The first was like a lion One the king of Beasts, the other the King of Birds, for which he is called the golden head, as Dan. 2.32, 38. This was the Chaldean or Assyrian; whose seat was first at Babylon, after at Nineveh, and then at Babylon again., and had eagles wings They were swift over-running many Countreys, and brought their Monarchy to a prodigious height in a short time. Thus Ieremy prophesied, he should come up as clouds, his Chariots shall be as a Whirlwind his Horses are swifter than Eagles: in the 7th. verse call'd a Lion and here like clouds, whirlwinds and Eagles for swiftness, Ier. 48 40. Ezek. 17.3.: and I beheld till the wings thereof were pluckt Which was first in stopping the carreer of their Victories, and after in casting them out of their Kingdom, the Nation was not destroyed, but their Monarchy., and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a mans heart was given unto it This was truly verified in Nebuchadnezzar after he was as a Beast turned out amongst Beasts. Dan. 4.31, 32, 33, 34 and finished upon his Son Belshazzar for not taking warning, Dan. 5.22..

And behold, another beast, a second like to a bear Viz The Medes and Persians, a fierce, grim, ravenous creature, and barbarously cruel, especially the Mountainous part as of Caucasus, Armenia and Media by the Caspian Sea near the Tartars, and that which borders upon the Mogul, the Vsbeques, and the Sasbuts; read Isa. 13.17, 18. Ier. 51.48, 50 called spoilers. See ver. 11. &c. Thus God sent in the Northern Bears upon Babylon to devour flesh. See how God calls them against Babylon, Ier. 51.20, 21, 22, 23.27, 28. he reckons Ararat, Nenini, and Ashkenas, and the Medes, i. e. Armenia, Parthia, Hyrcania, &c, the rough Northern hungrey Bears., and it raised up it self on one side On one side, i. e. the North side; for the Mede first arose and sent to Cyrus the Persian to come in and assist him against the Assyrian, and made him General., and it had three ribs in the mouth of it Several of the Babylonian Subjects revolted from the Babylonian (and all these made the three Ribs) as the Hyrcanians, and Gobrias., between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.

After this I beheld, and lo, another like a leopard This Leopard was the Grecian Monarchy; a Leopard is less than a Lion, so was this Monarchy at first, but yet durst fight with a Lion; so did Alexander encounter Darius with a force very small to the other. A Leopard also for his swiftness; therefore described with four wings on his back., which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl, the beast had also four heads Also because his Commanders that succeeded him were four of his chief Commanders, that divided that Empire into four parts between them; and these were the four Heads to whom Dominion was given, Ptolomy, Sele cus, Philippus, Antigonus, or as others, Perdiccas and Meleager, Dan. 8.21, 22., and dominion was given to it Alexander did this by the mighty power of God else how could he conquer Darius that had 600000 with 30000 and in so short a time go conquerer over Asia to the East-Indies; I mean that part which now the Mogul possesseth; where he fought with Porus and beat him..

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly This was the Roman Empire; for that followed the Grecian, and was monstrous as to his rise and progress,; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces; and stamped the residue with the feet As to the variety and cruelty of the Government. It made use not only of Italians but Spaniards, Gauls, Germans Britans, which made their Armies hard and hard as Iron, which broke in pieces the Gold, Silver and Brass. But its plain this is the last Kingdom of the four that was to be destroyed by Christs Kingdom and this work was to be doing till the last age, ver. 13. of it, and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns i. e. Kings, ver. 24. Rev. 17.12. called Hor s, i. e of iron, as the Teeth were, i. e. cruel and persecuting; as Beasts push and gore with their Horns..

I considered Daniel considered, and this calls upon us to consider the matter. the horns, and behold, there came up among them another little horn Some will have the Turk meant, others before him, Antiochus Epiphanes, others Iu ius Caesar, others Antichrist. Its certain the horn that riseth out of the He-goat, is Antiochus, Dan. 8.9, 10, 11, 12. but the horn here mentioned riseth out of the fourth Beast, or under him. Therefore he must be the Turk as some will have it, or the Romi h Antichrist; not the Turk, being the Horn signified only one King, ver. 24. 2. He must gain all the 4th. Kingdom 3. He must reign before the Kingdom of Christ is erected., before whom there were three of the first horns pluckt up by the roots Some will have Aegypt, Asia, and Greece to be the 3 which are possessed by the Turk; but though he has got the Egyptian and Constantinopolitan which are two, must the German be the third? He has pushed hard for it now of late.: and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things This again some interpret of Antiochus, some of Mahomet, some of the Caesars, others of Antichrist, all concerning their craft, and blasphemies, which properly can be meant but of one..

I beheld till the thrones were cast down By Thrones cast down must be meant the Kingdoms of this World, destroyed by Christ the King, and judge of all, called the ancient of days because of his Eternal Deity: without beginning and end of days., and the ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow Thus Kings Vice-R ys were clothed, Gen. 4.42. as Ioseph in fine Silk, and Mordecai, Esth. 8.15., and the hair of his head like the pure wool Rev. 1.14. Noting his innocence, and righteousness in Judgment, Isa. 42.4.; his throne was like the fiery fl mes This notes his Majesty in Judgment, see Psal. 50., 4. Mal. 4.1. Rev. 19.11, 12., and his wheels as burning fire Arguing the greatest and most formidable state of the last Judge, and judgment: alluding to the Kings who had moveable Thrones, and they had wheeles, it notes also Gods swiftness in Judgment, Mal. 3.5..

A fiery stream issued, and came forth from before him Psal. 50.3. Noting his Justice and Wrath, in giving Sentence and executing it.: thousand thousands ministred unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him This is the great Assize.: the judgment was set, and the books were opened Rev. 20.11, 12. This ay some is spoken agreeable to the Synedrium or Sanedrim, and after the manner of men, and notes the book of Life, of Gods Eternal Decree, the book of Gods Omniscience, &c..

I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame This cannot but be meant of the Ruine and Judgment of Antichrist till the Beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame, 2 Thes. 2.8. Rev. 17.8. and 19.20. and 20.10..

As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away The Prophet chiefly intends the fourth Empire, and therein the proud, blasphemous Horn: yet did not wholly omit to speak of the three first Empires, and what became of them. He says they were wholly taken away, that is successively, as Histories tell us. The Beast and the Horn perish together, for the holy Ghost tells us that the Horn shall prevail against the Saints till the ancient of days come to sit in Judgment, and because the Session of Judgment in Daniels vision was principally to pluck up by the Roots that wicked Horn, ver. 26. following, Daniels expectation had failed him, if the Horn had not perished with the Beast. Besides the state of the Beast under the Horn was to be a time, times, and the dividing, ver. 25 of which more when we come to it.: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

I saw in the night-visions, and behold, one like the son of man, came with the clouds of heaven That is, the Messiah; this is the same with the stone, Dan. 2. he came with the clouds of heaven, Mat. 24.30. i. e. gloriously, swiftly and terribly. Ier. 4.13., and came to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him This relates to his Ascension, Acts 1.9, 10, 11. at which time though King before, Mat. 2.2. yet now and not before he seems to receive his Royal investiture for the protection of his Church and curbing of their Enemies, which he sayes he had before, Mat. 28.18. 1 Cor. 15.25. chap. 2.44..

And there was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me I was transported even to astonishment with the vision, it was so strange, surprising and terrible to me..

I came near unto one of them that stood by That is to an Angel, that ministred, Zech. 3.4, 7., and asked him the truth of all this That I might learn of him the true and full meaning of this Vision; which the Angel readily told him.: so he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.

These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth Men of the Earth, of earthly Principles, Idolatrous, Ambitious, Sensual, Tyrannical; who after they have acted their parts, shall be driven off the Stage into the Tyring Rooms of death and destruction..

But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom Jesus Christ being their King, they shall reign with him Rev. 1.6. and 20. and possess the Kingdom, for ever, Mat. 19.28. 1 Cor. 1.9. and 6.3. 1 Pet. 2.9. Rev. 5.10. This shall be for ever, because Christs Kingdom is the last Kingdom, never any shall succeed after that., and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was divers from all the others I would fain know it more perfectly and exactly, because the Iewish Nation and Church were to be scatter'd, long, by, and under the fourth Beast., exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass, which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet.

And of the ten horns that were in his head What they meant:, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell, even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth, that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows i. e. He had more power and more fierceness. This is wont to be interpreted of Antiochus, and the persecuting Emperours because it agrees well to them..

I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

Until the ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom This shows plainly the Horn is Antichrist of Rome, or the Whore that rides the Beast, and this is more apparent in the interpretation of the fourth beast and the ten Kings..

Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be divers from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings Which I ius, Piscator, Pelanus make to be the Kings of Syria, and reckon ten of them, and that is not all neither; the 10th. Antiochus, but this cannot be, for he died 160 years before Christ. that shall arise: and another shall rise after them, and he shall be divers from the first, and he shall subdue three kings Others interpret the other that riseth after the ten, and that hall s bdue three, to be Mahomet; but Maidonate himself says it agrees better to Antichrist, and 25 ver e too, where he speaks of changing times and laws, which God has set. None of which things he could do, but that God gives him Commission for it, till Gods set time be fulfilled, which is three years and half, i. e. 1260 years; or 42 months which is all the time of the Witnesses prophesying in Sackcloth, of the Churches being in the Wilderness, and of Antichrists Reign, Rev. 11.3. and 12.6. and 13.5, 6, &c. Mind those places, and compare this of Daniel with them, and the 26, and 27. How he shall be judged and executed. The sixth and seventh Vials will decide, and illustrate all this..

And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand, until a time and times and the dividing of time The numbers of Daniel and Iohn seem to agree. Daniel was certainly prophetical in these things, and his prophesie reacheth to the end of times, even of Antichrists Reign. I will not deny but Antiochus might be a Type and fore-runner of Antichrist, and did many things against the Iewish Church, with Craft, Cruelty and Blasphemy: but he was no part of the fourth, but of the third Beast; whereas Daniel here points mainly at the Roman Power and Persecution, especially by the little Horn, which lasted to his ruine; after which it is clear the Lord Christ will Reign in and over his Saints much more gloriously, which the Iews will never be beaten from, because there are so many signal places in the Prophets speaking of it, yet unfulfilled, and in the Apocalypse to the wise Reader, after the Beast and Whore are destroyed with all their supporters. But enough of that at present..

But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume, and to destroy it unto the end.

And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the Saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Hitherto is the end of the matter i. e. Of the Vision, and the Angels interpretation.. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me 1 Because it became him so to be, as a holy wise man ought to be in that case. 2 By this impression made upon him, God would have it laid up in his heart to be drawn out occasionally, and delivered to his People, and that all these wonderful discoveries from God might engage him more earnestly in Prayer for the Church of God as he does, chap. 9.: but I kept the matter in my heart.