Theological Commentary: Click Here
This is the
chapter of the beasts. So much has been said
about this chapter and its impact upon the apocalyptic literature like the book
of Revelation. It is widely recognized
that the beasts represent nations. Specifically,
the beasts are traditionally understood to be Babylon, Persia, Greece, and
Rome.
There are two
significant points that are going to be brought out in this post. First, look at the end of the beasts. The fourth beast is killed on the spot. The other three beasts are allowed to live
and linger. What is special about this
fourth beast? It makes war against
God. The fourth beast blasphemes against
God. The fourth beast will wage war and
wear out the saints of God. Whereas the
other three beasts are simply violent kingdoms, the fourth beast makes it
personal against God.
This ties back
to the lessons of the past few days. God
can forgive many things, but arrogance and refusal to be humbled is something
that God takes personally. This fourth
beast will not be humbled. The fourth
beast will not listen. Because of this, the
fourth beast is slain on the spot while the other beasts live on and linger in
history.
The other
point is a minor point in the chapter that speaks volumes to the life of a
prophet. Daniel receives the vision, but
he trembles. He was anxious and the
visions troubled him greatly. In other
words, Daniel was unsure. Daniel had to
ask for help. The great Daniel, who
interprets dreams, needs help.
This should
bring peace to us. Daniel is great
because God is with him. Daniel
interprets dreams because God gives him the interpretation. It isn’t Daniel who is so great, but rather
it is God within Daniel who is so great.
We don’t
need to be perfect. We don’t need to be
strong. We simply need to be willing and
then let God be within us.
<><
No comments:
Post a Comment