This is a discussion of the vision of Daniel 7. It provides an overview of the vision, shows how it relates to the vision in Daniel 2, explains the Liberal interpretation, and concludes with arguments against that interpretation. The next articles in this series identify the four animals and 11 horns of Daniel 7.
Overview
Daniel 7
In Daniel 7, four animals, a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a dragon-like beast, come out of the sea. They symbolize four successive empires. The sea represents the people of the world.
The fourth beast first had ten horns, symbolizing that this empire would fragment into multiple kingdoms, each consisting of a series of kings.
Later, an 11th horn comes up out of the fourth beast. This 11th horn is the main character of the vision. It symbolizes the Antichrist.
Daniel 7 explains Daniel 2.
The visions of Daniel 2 and 7 are similar in several respects. For example:
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- Both symbolize four successive empires.
- Both describe the fourth as the “fourth kingdom.”
- Both associate the fourth with iron.
- In both, in the fifth phase, many kingdoms exist concurrently.
- In both, this fifth phase is a continuation of the fourth in fragmented form.
- Both visions end with God’s Eternal Kingdom.
Given these similarities, Daniel 2 and 7 predict the same four empires, the same fifth divided kingdom, and the same Eternal Kingdom. However, Daniel 7 provides more details. Specifically, Daniel 7 adds the Antichrist, who is not mentioned in Daniel 2.
The Liberal Interpretation
The academic world does not accept the possibility of miracles, such as accurate predictions of the future. Consequently, since the Book of Daniel mentions the Greek Empire, in the academic view, also known as the Liberal view, Daniel was written AFTER that empire was already established. Liberals assume that the 11 horns must be 11 consecutive Greek kings, and the 11th horn must be the Greek king Antiochus IV. This article rejects the academic interpretation for several reasons:
Firstly, another article, by comparing the animals in Daniel 7 to those in Daniel 8, shows that the fourth empire is the Roman Empire, not the Greek Empire, as the Liberals propose.
Secondly, in the Liberal interpretation, the 11 horns, including the Antichrist, exist DURING the fourth empire. However, Daniel 2 shows that the 11 horns exist AFTER that fourth empire.
Thirdly, in the Liberal interpretation, the 11 horns exist one after the other. However, Daniel shows in several ways that the horns exist concurrently.
– END OF OVERVIEW –
This discussion assumes that the article on Daniel 2 has been read (see here). See here for this article in MP3 format.
The Four Animals
The Four Animals are Four Kingdoms.
In Daniel 7, four animals, a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a dragon-like beast, come out of the sea. They are explained as “kings” (Daniel 7:17). However, Daniel 7:23 refers to the fourth beast as “a fourth KINGDOM.” In other words, each of the four animals is a “kingdom,” consisting of a series of kings.
The Sea symbolizes the people.
These animals arise out of the sea (Daniel 7:3). However, Daniel 7:17 explains that these kings will “arise from the earth.” Therefore, the sea is the earth, not the physical earth, but the people of the world, out of which these empires emerge.
The Four Empires reign consecutively.
Like the four metal-kingdoms of Daniel 2, the four beast-kingdoms in Daniel 7 will reign one after the other. We see this in the following:
The fourth beast “was different from all the beasts that were BEFORE IT” (Daniel 7:7). The word ‘before’ indicates that the fourth beast exists AFTER the previous three.
As a second example, the fourth beast will devour the “WHOLE EARTH” (Daniel 7:23). This leaves no place for other beasts to exist at the same time. There are worldwide empires.
Thirdly, Daniel 7:6-7 uses the phrase “AFTER THIS” several times, confirming that the animals will reign consecutively.
The Eleven Horns
Fragment of the Fourth Empire
Initially, the fourth beast had ten horns. These horns are explained as ten kings that will arise out of the fourth beast (Daniel 7:7-8, 24). However, since, as explained above, ‘kings’ are equivalent to ‘kingdoms,’ the ten horns are ten kingdoms. Each kingdom consists of a series of kings. They symbolize the fourth empire fragmenting into many kingdoms.
The 11th horn is the Antichrist.
The main character and purpose of Daniel 7 is not one of these four empires, nor one of the ten horns, but the evil 11th horn. It grows out of the fourth empire AFTER the first ten horns, “among” them (Daniel 7:8). Daniel 7 allocates much more space to it than to any other character. The only reason that Daniel describes the preceding kingdoms is to enable the reader to identify the 11th horn.
It uproots three of the first horns as it comes out. Initially, it is small, but it grows and eventually dominates the other kingdoms. It persecutes God’s people, blasphemes God, intends to change times and law (Daniel 7:8, 20, 25), and will only be destroyed when Christ returns.
Parallel to Daniel 2
The same four empires
As commentators agree, the four animals in Daniel 7 symbolize the same four empires as the four metals in Daniel 2. For example:
Firstly, as there are four metals in Daniel 2, there are four beasts in Daniel 7.
Secondly, both the metals in Daniel 2 and the beasts in Daniel 7 symbolize successive kingdoms.
Thirdly, both the fourth metal and the fourth animal are called the “fourth kingdom” (Daniel 2:40; 7:23).
Fourthly, both fourth kingdoms are associated with iron (Daniel 2:40; 7:7).
The same Divided Kingdom
Daniel 2:33 refers to the fifth phase as a “divided kingdom.” During this fifth phase, there will be no single supreme ruler; instead, different kings will rule different parts of the ‘world.’ For the following reasons, the 11 horns in Daniel 7 are the same as the divided kingdom in Daniel 2:
(a) Both are a fifth phase, following the first four empires.
(b) In both, many kings will rule concurrently.
(c) Assuming that the statue in Daniel 2 has 10 toes, both use the number 10 to symbolize the plurality of kings (Daniel 7:7).
(d) In both, the fifth phase continues the fourth:
In Daniel 7, the kingdoms are symbolized by horns growing out of the beast, indicating continuance.
In Daniel 2, the iron of the fourth empire continues in the fifth phase (Daniel 2:33).
(e) In both, the divided kingdom ends when God’s Eternal Kingdom begins.
In conclusion, Daniel 2 and 7 symbolize the same four empires, followed by the same fifth period of divided rule, followed by God’s eternal kingdom.
Comparison Table
Therefore, the two chapters may be compared as follows:
| Daniel 2 | Daniel 7 |
| Head of Gold | Lion |
| Breast and Arms of Silver | Bear |
| Belly and Thighs of Bronze | Leopard |
| Legs of Iron | Fourth animal, dreadful, terrifying, and extremely strong |
| Feet of Iron and Clay | Eleven horns of the fourth animal |
| Eternal kingdom | Everlasting Kingdom |
The two visions form a unit.
The two visions explain one another:
For example, Daniel 2 identifies the Gold Kingdom as the Babylonian Empire. Therefore, that is also the identity of the Lion Kingdom in Daniel 7.
As another example, Daniel 2 does not mention the Antichrist. However, Daniel 7 reveals that the Antichrist will rule during the fifth divided kingdom. Therefore, it will rule during the period depicted by the statue’s feet in Daniel 2.
The Liberal Interpretation
Liberals do not allow for miracles.
The academic world, including theological departments, is dominated by critical or liberal scholars who do not accept the supernatural. They do not accept that miracles, such as accurate predictions of the future, are possible. In this view, since the Book of Daniel mentions the Greek Empire, Daniel was written AFTER that empire had already been established. However, read the Wikipedia article on the Book of Daniel, or any other encyclopedia, to get a sense of the academically acceptable interpretation. You may also refer to the article on Critical Scholars on this website.
The eleven horns are Greek kings.
Specifically, in the view of Liberal Scholars, Daniel was written during the reign of the Greek king Antiochus IV, who persecuted the Jews and defiled the temple. Liberals identify Antiochus as the Antichrist, the 11th horn of Daniel 7. To make Antiochus fit the prophecy, they identify the fourth empire as Alexander’s Greek empire. They propose that the 11 horns symbolize 11 consecutive kings of the Greek empire. In other words, these kings ruled consecutively, during the fourth empire. This article objects to this interpretation as follows:
Objection 1: Comparing the animals shows that Greece is the third animal.
Daniel 8 uses two animals as symbols, explicitly identified as the Medo-Persian and Greek Empires. The animals in Daniel 7 and 8 are described with characteristics, such as multiple heads, multiple horns, wings, etc. Another article compares the two animals in Daniel 7 to those in Daniel 7 (see here). It concludes that the Greek Empire is the third animal in Daniel 7, not the fourth, as the Critics claim. It follows that the fourth animal in Daniel 7 is the empire that followed the Greek Empire, namely the Roman Empire.
Objection 2: The horns exist after the fourth empire.
As stated, in the academic view, the 11 horns symbolize individual kings reigning DURING the fourth empire. To this, we object as follows:
As discussed here, the five parts of the statue in Daniel 2 symbolize five consecutive periods of history. Since the divided empire in Daniel 2 parallels the 11 horns, the horns exist AFTER the fourth empire, not DURING it.
This is confirmed by the fact that, while the legs consist only of iron, the feet are partly of iron and partly of clay. Therefore, the feet cannot be part of the legs, as the Liberals propose.
Objection 3: The horns exist concurrently.
As stated, in the Liberal interpretation, the horns are 11 consecutive Greek kings. However, several indications suggest that the horns exist concurrently. For example:
First, the horns are parallel to the fifth phase in Daniel 2, called the “divided kingdom” (Daniel 2:33, 41), implying a fragmented empire with concurrent fragments.
Second, according to Daniel 2:43, these kings will attempt to unite through intermarriage, implying that they live concurrently.
Third, Daniel saw the 11th horn AMONG the other ten horns (Daniel 7:8). Therefore, they exist concurrently.
Fourth, the 11th horn uproots three other horns (Daniel 7:8), implying that at least these three ‘kings’ existed concurrently with the 11th.
Fifth, in Daniel 8, there are two animals with horns, and, in both animals, the horns represent kingdoms that exist concurrently (Daniel 8:20-22):
The ram has two horns, representing the Medians and Persians of the Median-Persian Empire.
The goat grows four horns, representing the four concurrent divisions of the Greek Empire.
Other Articles
Articles in this series
Daniel 2
Daniel 2 divides world history into six eras, beginning with the Babylonian Empire, ending with God’s everlasting kingdom. This serves as the framework for interpreting all later prophecies. MP3
Daniel 7
The four beasts symbolize four successive empires. The 4th has ten horns, symbolizing concurrent kingdoms, formed when the 4th fragments. The main character is the eleventh horn, the Antichrist. MP3
The Fourth Beast
This article identifies the four animals of Daniel 7. It compares them to the animals of Daniel 8, identified in 8:20-21 as Medo-Persia and Greece. This identifies the fourth animal as the Roman Empire.
The 11th horn
In 380, the Roman Empire made Nicene theology its State Religion, outlawing other views. After the Empire later fragmented, the Roman State Church survived as the Roman Church. It is the 11th horn.
The Horn of Daniel 8
Daniel identifies the Ram and Goat as Mede-Persia and Greece, but does not explain the main figure, the Antichrist. This article gives an overview of Daniel 8 and three interpretations of this evil power.
Out of One of Them
The evil horn emerges “out of one of them” (Daniel 8). What di=os this mean? If it comes out of one of the four horns of the Greek goat, then the evil horn might represent a Greek king.
The Vile Person of Daniel 11
Liberal scholars believe that Antiochus IV was the Antichrist ‘foretold’ by Daniel. However, Antiochus was only a type of a later and much greater Antichrist.
Antiochus IV
Critical scholars identify the Antichrist in Daniel as Antiochus IV, a Greek king. There are many similarities, but this article lists several differences between Daniel’s Antichrist and Antiochus.
Revelation 13 |
The Book of Revelation builds on Daniel’s prophecies. The following are some of the relevant articles on Revelation:
The Dragon
Revelation 12 lists several wars between God and Satan. It refers to Satan’s forces as the Dragon. Revelation 13 distinguishes between the Dragon and the Beast. The Dragon is now the Roman Empire.
The Beast
The Beast is the same as Daniel’s 11th horn. It is a fragment of the Roman Empire that continues to exercise its authority. It is also the Antichrist, but Christian in name.
The Fatal Wound
The Beast’s 7 heads symbolize its 7 phases. One of its heads is fatally wounded. Revelation 17 identifies the wounded head as the sixth head, the current age of religious freedom. But the wound will heal.
What is the Beast?
This article identifies Daniel’s Horn and, therefore, the Beast. It reigned during the Middle Ages, suffered a fatal wound through the advent of religious liberty, but the wound will be healed.
Mark of the Beast
This article summarizes many of the articles above,