1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions of his head upon his bed. Then he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters.
This is somewhere around 462BC.
I have rearranged the verses so that we only read the vision once, side-by-side with the interpretation.
15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
This was an angel he saw in his vision.
2 Daniel spake and said: “I saw in my vision by night and behold the four winds of heaven strove upon the great sea.
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
17 (The Angel speaks) These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
This is the interpretation the angel gave him.
4 (Daniel:) The first was like a lion, and it had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
Nebuchadnezzar after his time as a beast of the field. The “man’s heart” signified his acceptance of God.
5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’
Persia, under Cyrus the Great, destroyed Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt. All three completely ended as world powers at this point. These are the three ribs.
6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
Alexander the Great and his kingdom, which was divided after his death. This division took seven years of war between his four generals. Ptolemy (or Ptolemeaus) Lagi became the Egyptian king and gave part of his kingdom to his favorite under-general, Seleucus, who defeated one of the other general/kings and took Syria as well as part of Egypt. There is little or no disagreement about the interpretation up to this point.
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns
19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
23 (Angel) Thus he said, ‘The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth (land), and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
This fourth beast is the kingdom of Syria; specifically the family of the Seleucids. Josephus and the Maccabees tell us the Seleucids were very cruel to the Jews. Their armies (the iron teeth) horribly mistreated the people (using mostly iron weapons).
The Syrian empire covered at least as much territory as Rome (though fewer people), including the whole area of the Babylonian Empire, the country Daniel was writing this from; “whole earth” means “whole kingdom,” in the original language. In Daniel’s case at this time in history, that would mean the Babylonian Empire.
20 (Daniel) And of the ten horns that were in his head,…
24 (Angel) And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:…
Ptolemy Lagi gave Syria to his general…
1) 312-281BC Seleucus I Nicator
2) Ptolemy Soter of Egypt controlled Israel for a short time.
3) 281-261BC Antiochus I Soter
4) 261-246BC Antiochus II Theos
5) 246-225BC Seleucus II Callinicos
6) 225-223BC Seleucus III Ceraunos
7) 223-187BC Antiochus III The Great
8) 187-175BC Seleucus IV Philopater (son of Antiochus III, brother to Antiochus IV)
9) Heliodorus (the tax collecter)
The son of Seleucus IV, never ruled but should have.
10) 175-164BC Antiochus IV Epiphanies
This was the Syrian empire in full force. They totally destroyed everyone they conquered. Rome and Greece didn’t usually destroy total countries. They usually just subdued them and then left them alone as long as they paid their taxes and didn’t cause too much trouble. This wasn’t true of Syria. They were down-right mean.
8 (Daniel) I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn (Antiochus IV), before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots (he was directly involved in the downfall of three other kings; his brother, the tax collector, and his nephew who all should have reigned instead of him): and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
(Angel) … 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.
21 (Daniel) I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
The little horn is Antiochus Epiphanies, the last of the ten kings. He got the throne by having his nephew taken captive in Rome and having a buddy depose the murderer of his brother (who he had helped in the first place). He was a man of great ingenuity, and therefore is said to have eyes like the eyes of a man; and he was very bold and daring, had a mouth speaking great things.
Antiochus IV was the only king in the history of Israel who demanded they leave their God, not just incorporate his own. In fact, he commanded his entire kingdom, including his own country, to worship Jupiter instead of their native gods.
Antiochus IV used deceit, flattery, and bribes to get and establish his kingdom.
22 Until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints (True lovers of God) possessed the kingdom (of God).
The Ancient of Days is God pronouncing judgment on Antiochus (He killed him). After this, the Jews ruled themselves (more or less, off and on, until Rome conquered them; about a hundred years.)
24 (Angel) … and another shall rise after them (Antiochus IV Epiphanies); and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
Brother, nephew, general/tax collector.
25 And he (the horn) 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 (the Jews) shall be given into his (the horn's) hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Antiochus was especially mean to Israel for about three and a half years. He thought he was a god and even changed the calendar.
26 But the judgment shall sit, and they (the Jews) shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end (of Antiochus’ kingdom).
The Maccabees kicked him out.
Some assign this beast to Rome and this horn to Nero, but that is problematic. Nero was the sixth or seventh (depending on if you count the general who ruled for Tiberius for a short time) ruler of the Roman Empire. The tenth emperor was Vespasian who was the emperor from AD69- 79, but he was not a proud boaster, nor did he in anyway fit the description of the little horn. (His son, Titus, became emperor after him in 79). If you do count the ruling general, the tenth emperor was Vitelius who ruled a whole year and did nothing remarkable except fight for the throne with Otho for half that time. In fact, if you don’t count Otho or the general, the tenth emperor was Titus who was a relatively meek (though quite unlucky) emperor (there were earthquakes and volcanoes and The Plague during his two year reign).
Augustus, the second Emperor of Rome, was the one who changed the calendar. However, the character of the little horn describes Antiochus IV perfectly.
9 (Daniel) I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire.
God on the throne.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him (Christ) near before Him. (God)
14 And there was given Him (Christ) 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.
The kingdom of heaven, which began at Calvary. This kingdom has never been and never will be destroyed. It has citizens in every country of the world. Its King rules the nations now, putting those in charge that He wants in charge and removing them when He chooses.
18 (Angel) But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever- yes forever and ever.
27 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.
Daniel is shown up to the time of Christ and His victory- the institution of the Kingdom of God at Calvary.
His attention, however, goes back to the little horn.
11 (Daniel) I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: (back to Antiochus IV) I beheld even till the beast (the last of the four beasts in Daniel’s vision) was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
The Roman army under Pompey destroyed the Syrian Empire in 63BC.
12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
These nations still exist, more or less, in a VERY reduced state; Iraq [Babylon], Iran [Persia], and Greece
28 Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.
This is the end of this dream. It upset Daniel, but he didn’t talk to anyone about it.