Daniel 2 and 7, parallels!

Type: a study
Relevance: prophecy
Text: (Please read Daniel 2:31-45; 7:2-27)

Recall the structure of Daniel 2-7, a chiasm! Daniel 2 and 7 parallel one another in theme, in the theme of prophecy.

Might they parallel one another in other ways?

Note the following parallels between the two visions:

1. - Daniel 2 contains FOUR metals and Daniel 7 FOUR beasts.

"This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly

and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron..." Daniel 2:32,33

"The first was like a lion... And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear... After

this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard... After this I saw in the night visions, and

behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly..." Daniel 7:4-7

2. - Daniel 2 contains TWO non-metals (contrasted to the 4 metals) and Daniel 7 TWO humans/human-like (contrasted to the 4 beasts).

"...his feet ... part of clay." "...the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands..." Daniel 2:33,45 

"...another little horn, ... and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of MAN, and

a mouth speaking great things." "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..." Daniel 7:8,13

3. - Both Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 interpret the four metals/beasts as Four Kingdoms.

"...Thou art this head of gold. And after thee [Nebuchanezzar's kingdom] shall arise

another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear

rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron..." Daniel 2:38-40

"These great beasts, which are four, are four kings [monarchies/kingdoms], which

shall arise out of the earth." "Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth

kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms..." Daniel 7:17,23

4. - The first metal/beast/kingdom is a Royal Kingdom, gold being the kingly metal or metal of kings and the lion the king of beasts and the eagle king of birds.

5. - The fourth metal/beast/kingdom is/has iron and is thus an Iron Kingdom.

"His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay." Daniel 2:33

"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..." Daniel 7:7

6. - The fourth kingdom is a divided kingdom of TEN parts.

"And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron... And whereas thou sawest the feet and [TEN]

toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided..." Daniel 2:40,41

"...behold a fourth beast ... and it had ten horns." "And the ten horns

out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise..." Daniel 7:7,24 

7. - The fourth kingdom is a diverse kingdom, combining the two contrasting and opposing elements of each vision, Daniel 2, metal and non-metal, and Daniel 7, beast and human.

"His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay." Daniel 2:33

"...a fourth BEAST ... and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold,

there came up among them another little horn, ... and, behold, in this horn were

eyes like the eyes of MAN, and a mouth speaking great things." Daniel 7:8

And, finally...

8. - The four kingdoms are destroyed leaving no trace of the metals and beasts; only the fifth non-metal or human kingdom remains and is eternal.

"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." "And in the days of these kings [the kings of the divided fourth kingdom of the feet and toes] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold..." Daniel 2:34,35,44,45

"...I beheld even till the [fourth] beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time [after which they were destroyed also].  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 near before him. And there was given him 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." Daniel 7:11-14

I believe it is obvious that the metals and beasts represent the state (nations, kingdoms, etc.) but what, perhaps, is not so obvious is that the non-metals and humans/human-likes represent the church or God's people. One give away, though, is that the 5th kingdom, God's kingdom, only consists of non-metal or human. (See point #8 above.) So, non-metal and human/human-like is indeed the church or God's people.

But does it really hold true for the "clay" and

 "eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speak-

ing great things"??? How can we be sure?

To be continued...