Prophecy is one of the most intriguing aspects of studying the Bible. Some estimates suggest that a quarter of the Bible is prophecy, so knowing how to rightly understand it is important. There are essentially two types of prophecies in the Bible, those that are written literally and those that are explained through symbolism. Literal prophecies speak for themselves; no symbolism is used, the message is spoken directly, and they are easily understood. Symbolic prophecies are more difficult, they require us to search the Bible to find the meaning of the symbols used in order to come to the correct understanding. As a general rule, the meaning of the symbols used in prophecy can be found elsewhere in the Bible. This is where many err in understanding prophecy. Instead of searching for an explanation of the symbols within the Scriptures, they add their own interpretation, and as a result, there are many false understandings of prophecy circulating today. One key verse to keep in mind when studying prophecy is 2 Peter 1:20,
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation."
We cannot come to the Bible and insert our own ideas or interpretations into the symbols used. We will only come to the right conclusions as we allow the Bible to interpret itself.
The two main prophetic books in the Bible that are of direct relevance to us today are Daniel and The Revelation. Of these two books, it is important to study Daniel first, as this is where many of the explanations of symbols used in Revelation can be found. Daniel also provides the basis for the flow of events that develop greater depth and explanation in Revelation. As you move through Daniel you will find great images, beasts, heads, horns, seas, wings, and other symbols, which are in many instances given an immediate explanation.
The explanations of the symbols used are also found in many other parts of the Bible. Having a good concordance and searching the Bible for the terms and symbols used in order to build the correct interpretation is invaluable in the study of prophecy. The explanation for all the symbols used is found in the Bible, we just need to find them!
To help you to see how we should interpret scripture let's work through the prophecies in both Daniel 2 and 7. Both of these chapters outline the rise and fall of Kingdoms in Europe from the time of ancient Babylon through to the end of the world. As we understand these prophecies we will be able to see perfectly where we fit in the scale of time, and how near we are to Jesus' second coming.
Daniel lived at the time of ancient Babylon, which reigned from 605 - 539 B.C. Daniel 2 describes a vision given by God to Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon. However, Nebuchadnezzar did not recall this dream, neither did he have any understanding as to its meaning. Subsequently, he called all the wise men and astrologers of Babylon to tell him both his dream and its interpretation. Understandably, these men also did not have a clue as to the King's dream or the interpretation. As a result, Nebuchadnezzar ordered all of these men to be put to death; the King figured that if these astrologers could not tell him his dream then they must frauds.
Daniel was an Israelite boy who was taken captive into Babylon when Israel was conquered. Being of noble birth, Daniel and his friends were placed in the Kings court to be trained to be wise men and counsellors to the King. As such, this death decree meant that Daniel's life was also on the line. Daniel responded to this by sending a message to the King that he will tell him his dream and the interpretation. That night, Daniel and his friends prayed and sought God to provide them with knowledge of the dream; a prayer of faith which God promptly answered.
The next day Daniel faced the King and explained to him that there is a God in heaven who, "changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him" (Daniel 2:21-22). Here Daniel is showing King Nebuchadnezzar that God is in charge, that with Him is the power to raise up kingdoms and pull them down. God possesses all power and wisdom, and it is God who has given Nebuchadnezzar this dream.
Daniel then relates the dream of a great image, with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, waist and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet partly of iron and partly of clay. The vision ends with a great stone cut without hands hitting this image on its feet and turning it to dust before then establishing an eternal kingdom.
Having revealed to the King his dream, Daniel then provides the much-needed explanation. Daniel explains that Nebuchadnezzar is represented by the head of gold (Daniel 2:38). However, it is revealed to Nebuchadnezzar that his glorious kingdom of Babylon would come to an end and another inferior kingdom, represented by the chest and arms of silver, would ultimately take Babylon's place as the next ruling power (vs 39). Daniel explains that there will be four great powers that will rule Europe and that the fourth kingdom would not be conquered but would fracture and divide. This is evident in the feet which maintain the iron element of the legs but are also mixed with clay (vs 41-42). Daniel further explains that just as iron and clay cannot be mixed, Europe after this time would never reunite into a single kingdom (vs 43).
It's worth pausing here and considering the number of people who have unsuccessfully attempted to reunite Europe. Charlemagne, Charles V, Louis XIV, Napoleon, and Hitler all tried it, and they all failed. Throughout WWII, while Hitler seemed to be going from strength to strength in his bid to conquer Europe, a man named Arthur S. Maxwell boldly proclaimed that Hitler would lose the war. This prediction was successfully made using the prophecies of Daniel as a basis. We can have the same assurance today that the prophecies will come to pass.
The final feature of this dream is the great rock that strikes the image on its feet and sets up an everlasting kingdom. There is no question here that this refers to the second coming of Jesus and the establishment of God's eternal kingdom (vs 44). From this vision we can clearly see that we are living in the time of a divided Europe, the only thing left to happen here is Jesus' return.
This brings us to Daniel 7, which is a parallel prophecy to Daniel 2. Here the exact same events are foretold but new symbolism is employed to explain and expand upon what has already been revealed. Daniel 7 is paramount to understanding key prophecies in Revelation because it establishes symbols and figures which are essential in coming to the correct understanding of Revelation.
In Daniel 7, it is Daniel who is now given a dream by God. Here he beholds winds beating upon a great sea. Here is our first chance to see how the Bible interprets itself. Winds represent strife/war.
"At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A dry wind of the desolate heights blows in the wilderness toward the daughter of My people— Not to fan or to cleanse— A wind too strong for these will come for Me; Now I will also speak judgment against them. Behold, he shall come up like clouds, And his chariots like a whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are plundered!”" (Jeremiah 4:11-13).
The sea represents well-populated places.
"Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues" (Revelation 17:15).
Here Daniel is seeing four beasts coming up out of a well-populated part of the world where there is much strife and war (Daniel 7:3). Later in the chapter, the angel explains to Daniel that these beasts represent four kingdoms (vs 17).
The first beast is a lion with eagles wings. This represents Babylon (605 - 539 B.C.) and is the equivalent to the head of Gold. The eagle's wings represent the speed/swiftness with which Babylon conquered Europe.
"The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand," (Deuteronomy 28:49).
The lion then has its wings removed, stands on two legs, and a man's heart is given to it.
"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7)
The man's heart given to this lion beast represents Nebuchadnezzar's eventual conversion to worshipping the God of the Bible. In addition, it shows that the ferocity of the kingdom of Babylon, which started as a mighty lion, would be reduced to the feebleness of a man.
The next beast is a bear that has three ribs in its mouth and is raised up on one side (vs 5). The bear corresponds to the chest and arms of silver and represents the joint Medo-Persian Kingdom (539 - 331 B.C.). The bear, being raised up on one side, shows that the balance between these joint kingdoms was not equal. The Persians ultimately rose to greater pre-eminence than the Medes and is represented in that the bear is raised up on one side. The bear is given the command to go and devour much flesh and is seen to carry three ribs in its mouth. In its progress to supremacy, the Medo-Persian Kingdom overcame and oppressed Egypt, Babylon and Lydia. As nations are represented as beasts, it is the remains of these empires that the bear carries in its mouth.
A beast like a leopard with four heads and four wings like a fowl is the next to come up from the sea. This leopard beast corresponds with the waist and thighs of bronze and represents Greece (331 - 168 B.C.). The heads we are told represent kings.
“Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time" (Revelation 17:9, 10).
The wings again represent swiftness, however, this beast has more wings than the lion. Alexander the Great is renowned for how rapidly he conquered the known world. However, Alexander died at the height of his power and Greece was then divided among his four generals (Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, Seleucus). This is what is represented by the four heads.
The final beast to arise out of the sea is said to be dreadful and terrible and very strong. It has great iron teeth and devours everything around it. This beast we are told is different to the ones before it and has ten horns. This beast corresponds to the legs of iron and represents the next power to rule - the Roman Empire (168 B.C - 476 A.D.). The description given is quite fitting for Rome, which ruled the world with an iron fist. The angel explains to Daniel that the ten horns represent ten kings which will arise out of this power (Daniel 7:24). From history, we know that Rome was never conquered and overtaken by another world empire, but it did divide into ten kingdoms: Lombards, Franks, Ostrogoths, Heruli, Vandals, Burgundians, Suevi, Saxons, Visigoths, and Alemanni. This fracturing of Rome correlates with the feet that are part of iron and part of clay. The ten toes are the ten divisions.
The next feature is a little horn coming up from among these ten kingdoms, the antichrist. However, this is a story for another post (click here).
Hopefully, by working your way through these key prophecies in Daniel you now have a better feel for how the Bible interprets itself. So long as we allow the Bible to tell us what the symbols represent we cannot go wrong. There is no need for us to try to come to our own strange conclusion. However, having an understanding of history to see the application of these prophecies is also very important.
A final insight that we gain from first studying Daniel is how chain prophecies work. Chain prophecies are those that reveal a flow of events over time as we have just witnessed in Daniel 2 and 7. In Daniel 2, 7, 8, 11-12, we see that the prophecies given begin in Daniel's day and end with the second coming of Christ. The visions span the entire course of history between these two points. In Revelation God uses exactly the same methodology. Each of the seven churches, seals and trumpets begin in John's day and end with the second coming. While many try to place these prophecies either way back in the past, or, more commonly, entirely in the future, God has revealed to us a gradual revelation of events over time. This understanding of the unfolding of Bible prophecy is often called the 'historicist' method and is the correct way to interpret these prophecies; allowing the Bible to interpret itself.
These prophecies provide us with evidence that we can trust God's word. Only God can see into the future and reveal these things to us before they happen. We are fortunate to live at a time when many of the prophecies have come to pass as foretold. Just as we can trust God's ability to predict the future, we can also trust the other things He tells us in the Bible. This world is very nearly over, soon Jesus will return the second time to receive His saints to heaven. Do you want to be a part of this number? God has not spared anything in His work to redeem us from sin. If we ask Him, He will make us pure and fit us for eternity.
"Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’"
Isaiah 46:9, 10
To now unlock the mystery of the little horn continue with our next article 'Unmasking the Antichrist' by clicking here.
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Metal-man image taken from maranathamedia.com with permission.