Identifications in the Book of Daniel, Chapter

Identifications In the Book of Daniel, chapter seven, it is written that there are four kingdoms. Specifically, in this portion of The Bible, Daniel has a vision where he sees four beasts which come to him out of the sea. The first is a beast that looks like a lion but it has eagle's wings. Then there is one that resembles a bear but that has a terrible expression wherein there are ribs protruding from its teeth.

Thirdly, there is a leopard that has two pairs of wings and four heads to match. The last creature that emerges from the water is less clearly described, but it has large teeth made of iron and ten horns upon its head. There are many schools of thought as to what these four creatures represent, but most hold that they refer to four important eras in history that are brought about through empire-building of a great nation.

In Daniel 7: 17, it states, "The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth." Each of these kingdoms and the men who ruled them attempted to rule the world, something which is the sole ability of God Almighty. The four creatures are thus aptly representative as they are creations which have been made by God, but have become twisted because of their avariciousness.

Based upon the area of the world in which the book was written, these four kingdoms are most likely Babylon which many consider the first great empire, followed by the Media Persian Empire, then the Greek Empire, and then the empire of Rome which was still in power at the time of many Biblical events. Another question regarding prophecies occurs in the same book, Daniel 7. In Daniel 7: 13-14, Daniel speaks of a vision.

He says, "There came one like a son of man, ...And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom…and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." It is promised that this son of man will create a kingdom which shall endure and which shall never fall. Obviously, this kingdom cannot be one of the great ones of Daniel's beastly vision. Historically, all empires have fallen so it can only be assumed that any kingdom created by a human being or beings will likewise eventually fall.

Therefore, the only way to interpret this son of man is that he must be the messiah. In Daniel's vision, he states that all people will worship the son of man, regardless of their race, the nation in which they live, and the language they speak. This means the kingdom he creates will not have borders in the way that nationalistic empires do. Finally, Daniel states in his prophecy that this son of man has sovereignty over all other beings and over all countries as well.

He will be alive, or at the very least present until the end of time because his dominion will still be in existence. This only makes sense if that dominion refers to ruling over all of humanity. This limits the interpretation to either a messiah or God himself. As the entity in question is given an audience with "the Ancient of Days," he cannot be God. The vision Daniel has of the ram and the goat in chapter 8 is more complicated.

Daniel has a vision wherein a two-horned ram battles a goat with a horn between its eyes. The ram is meant to represent the kingdom of Medo-Persia. The ram.