What are the meanings of the metals, animals, and other symbols in the book of Daniel
Let’s take a look at Daniel chapters 2, 7, 8, and 11, that highlight the four kingdoms from Babylon to Rome, and lead up to the establishment of God’s everlasting kingdom. His kingdom is where we find our eternal home, and the book of Daniel is a road map of sorts to help us to find our way there.
Directions to God’s Home
If you were coming to my home for an important event and I wanted to make sure you didn’t get lost, I would give you directions that would look something like this:
- Roads and names
- Distances and turns for each road
- Landmarks to look for
- Things to be cautious about, like rough roads, speed limits, or sharp turns
The prophetic book of Daniel is like this, too. But Daniel’s directions aren’t to my home—they’re directions to God’s home, to His kingdom that will be established on planet Earth. As Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5.
God’s directions are about spiritual roads and distances, prophetic landmarks, and biblical cautions. These heavenly directions are repeated four times in Daniel 2, 7, 8, and 11. Each time they cover the same basic ground, but with added information, so we don’t get lost. Let’s take a closer look at the first map:
“‘You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
“‘This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold. But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.’” Daniel 2:31–45
Daniel chapter 2 is like a basic road map. It begins with four kingdoms represented by an image of various metals—gold, silver, brass, and iron that eventually is mixed with clay at the feet. Then a huge stone hits the feet of the image and takes the entire thing down, grinds it to powder and then fills the entire earth. This stone represents Jesus and His kingdom (Luke 20:17–18; Acts 4:10–11).
The metals parts of the image represent the four earthly kingdoms of Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome (Daniel 2:38–39; 5:30–31; and 8:20–21). The clay mixed with iron in the feet and toes represents man’s final attempted rebellion against God in the setting up a religious-political kingdom as a counterfeit to God’s everlasting kingdom. This final controversy takes place just before Jesus returns and brings the entire image crashing down. (Isaiah 29:16; 41:25).
The Daniel 2 directions to God’s home are basic, like the roads and names we share when giving directions. However, the landmarks to look for, distances, turns, and even cautions come next in Daniel 7:
“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts.
“Daniel spoke, saying, ‘I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
“‘And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: “Arise, devour much flesh!”
“‘After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
“‘After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.
“‘I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.
“‘I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
“‘I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.
“‘I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: “Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.”
“‘Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.
“‘I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.
“‘Thus he said: “The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them;
He shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.
“But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’” Daniel 7:1–27
So Daniel chapter 7 is a repeat of the same directions to God’s kingdom, but with images of animals (lion, bear, leopard, and a terrible beast) and more details. In fact, most of the chapter centers on the fourth kingdom and a little horn that comes up and speaks “pompous words against the Most High” until God’s judgment is set and the books are opened (Daniel 7:8–11, 25–26).
Unlike the previous three kingdoms, this fourth kingdom—and the little horn that comes up from it—are not mentioned by name, though it is not a difficult thing to readily identify it. The kingdom that followed Babylon, Media-Persia, and Greece was Pagan Rome; and the little horn kingdom that came up in the place of Pagan Rome was Papal Rome. The Papal kingdom takes us from the fall of Pagan Rome to the final judgment. History confirms that Western Rome fell in AD 476, and that the papacy rose to power in AD 538 and continues to this day.
According to Bible prophecy, Papal Rome will continue until Jesus returns and the saints of the Most High possess the kingdom (Daniel 7:22, 27).
Here’s what Daniel 7 looks like:
Daniel 7:4 – Babylon
Daniel 7:5 – Media/Persia
Daniel 7:6 – Greece
Daniel 7:7–8, 19–21, 23–25 – Rome (both Pagan and Papal)
Daniel 7:9–14, 22, 26–27 – God’s Kingdom
The main focus in Daniel 7:9–27 is a contrast between God’s kingdom and Rome in its papal development.
Now let’s get more direction details from Daniel 8:
“In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me—to me, Daniel—after the one that appeared to me the first time. I saw in the vision, and it so happened while I was looking, that I was in Shushan, the citadel, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision that I was by the River Ulai. Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward, so that no animal could withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will and became great.
“And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power. And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand.
“Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven. And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land. And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.
“Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, ‘How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?’
“And he said to me, ‘For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.’
“Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, ‘Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.’ So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, ‘Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.’
“Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me, and stood me upright. And he said, ‘Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be. The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia. And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king. As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.
“And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; he shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.
“Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; and he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human means.
“And the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true; therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future.” Daniel 8:1–26
Here is our third parallel vision that follows the same prophetic directions of Daniel 2 and 7:
Daniel 8:3–4, 20 – Media/Persia
Daniel 8:5–8, 21–22 – Greece
Daniel 8:9–14, 23–25 – Rome (both Pagan and Papal)
The imagery is animals again, but this time they are sanctuary animals (a ram and a goat) emphasizing the sanctuary theme of this chapter (Leviticus 16:3–5). Another difference is that the starting point is now Media-Persia, the kingdom that followed Babylon.
With all these differences, we might be tempted to interpret Daniel 8 as a different vision than Daniel 2 and 7. But to keep us on track, the angel tells Daniel that the ram represents Media and Persia (Daniel 8:20); and that the goat is Greece (Daniel 8:21).
Greece is followed by the same little horn of Daniel 7, and again, a description of the judgment follows. This time, the judgment is described in verse 14 as the cleansing of the sanctuary. Again, sanctuary animals and language are used here because the focus of this chapter is on the sacrificial atonement and mediation of Jesus Christ, and the attempt the little horn makes to counterfeit the sanctuary system and the gospel.
So we have the same basic outline of Daniel 2 and 7, with even more cautions about the little horn and a heavenly judgment. Eventually, the little horn power is “broken without hand,” meaning God establishes His kingdom without man’s power.
Now to Daniel 11. Buckle your seat belts!
“Also in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him. And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece. Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.
“Also the king of the South shall become strong, as well as one of his princes; and he shall gain power over him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion. And at the end of some years they shall join forces, for the daughter of the king of the South shall go to the king of the North to make an agreement; but she shall not retain the power of her authority, and neither he nor his authority shall stand; but she shall be given up, with those who brought her, and with him who begot her, and with him who strengthened her in those times. But from a branch of her roots one shall arise in his place, who shall come with an army, enter the fortress of the king of the North, and deal with them and prevail. 8 And he shall also carry their gods captive to Egypt, with their princes and their precious articles of silver and gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the North.
“Also the king of the North shall come to the kingdom of the king of the South, but shall return to his own land. However his sons shall stir up strife, and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one shall certainly come and overwhelm and pass through; then he shall return to his fortress and stir up strife.
“And the king of the South shall be moved with rage, and go out and fight with him, with the king of the North, who shall muster a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into the hand of his enemy. When he has taken away the multitude, his heart will be lifted up; and he will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not prevail. For the king of the North will return and muster a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come at the end of some years with a great army and much equipment.
“Now in those times many shall rise up against the king of the South. Also, violent men of your people shall exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they shall fall. So the king of the North shall come and build a siege mound, and take a fortified city; and the forces of the South shall not withstand him. Even his choice troops shall have no strength to resist. But he who comes against him shall do according to his own will, and no one shall stand against him. He shall stand in the Glorious Land with destruction in his power.
“He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do. And he shall give him the daughter of women to destroy it; but she shall not stand with him, or be for him. After this he shall turn his face to the coastlands, and shall take many. But a ruler shall bring the reproach against them to an end; and with the reproach removed, he shall turn back on him. Then he shall turn his face toward the fortress of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.
“There shall arise in his place one who imposes taxes on the glorious kingdom; but within a few days he shall be destroyed, but not in anger or in battle. And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue. With the force of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant. And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people. He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time.
“He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South with a great army. And the king of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand, for they shall devise plans against him. Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. Both these kings’ hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time. While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land.
“At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the south; but it shall not be like the former or the latter. For ships from Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage.
“So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering. Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue. And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time.
“Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.
“At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.” Daniel 11:1–45
This final set of directions is the most challenging, but it’s still quite understandable, because we have Daniel 2, 7, and 8 as a basic outline. Here’s what Daniel 11 looks like:
Daniel 11:1–2 – Media/Persia
Daniel 11:3–13 – Greece
Daniel 11:14–45 – Rome (both Pagan and Papal)
Again the majority of Daniel 11 (verses 14–45) are designated to Rome in its pagan and papal form. Rome is the power that breaks God’s people and the Prince of the Covenant, and speaks “blasphemies against the God of gods” (Daniel 11:14, 22, 36).
Daniel 7 describes Rome as a power that will “break” others into pieces (Daniel 7:7). Daniel 11:14 describes Rome as the “robbers” (KJV) or “breakers” (Strong’s Concordance #6530) of God’s people. This connection between Rome in Daniel 7 and Daniel 11 is verified in verses 20–22.
“There shall arise in his place one who imposes taxes on the glorious kingdom; but within a few days he shall be destroyed, but not in anger or in battle. And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue. With the force of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant.” Daniel 11:20–22
These verses are like a major landmark in our Daniel 11 directions. They point to Augustus Caesar, the “raiser of the taxes (KJV)” and Tiberius Caesar, who followed Augustus, ruling when Christ, the Prince of the Covenant, was “anointed” and “broken” (Luke 2:1–5; 3:1, 21–23). So here, right in the middle of Daniel 11, we find our prophetic bearings in the birth, baptism, and death of Jesus Christ, the Prince of the Covenant. Once we establish this one truth, everything else in Daniel 11 falls into place. Daniel’s directions are all about God’s everlasting covenant established by Jesus Christ, the Prince of the Covenant, and attacked by the devil through the earthly powers he controls.
It was Pagan Rome that killed the Prince of the Covenant (though Jesus freely chose to lay down His life for the sins of planet Earth); and it is Papal Rome that continues to battle against the holy covenant in an attempt to usurp the place of God on Earth. We see this in the transition from Pagan Rome to Papal Rome in Daniel 11:30. So Rome is consistently working against God’s everlasting covenant.
In Daniel 7, the covenant is attacked by the little horn’s efforts to change times and laws (Daniel 7:25).
In Daniel 8 the little horn casts down “the place” of God’s “sanctuary” and heavenly mediation for sin, and casts God’s “truth to the ground” (Daniel 8:11–14; 25).
By the time we arrive in Daniel 11, this fourth kingdom is depicted as:
- Breaking the Prince of the Covenant – verse 22
- Having indignation against the holy covenant – verse 30 (KJV)
- Having intelligence with them that forsake the covenant – verse 30 (KJV)
- Corrupting with flatteries those who do wickedly against the covenant – verse 32
Daniel is best known as a prophetic book, but it is also covenantal book. It is, in fact, a perfect blend of prophecy and covenant promise. As we see here and throughout the book of Daniel, the covenant is a major theme.
In a nutshell, the everlasting covenant is all about what God promises to do for us, but the old covenant is all about what we promise to do for God. As noted in the Sinai covenant, all that we promise to do for God is faulty, imperfect, and in need of mediation. Our promises to God are great words, self-exaltation, a magnifying of ourselves—the very essence of our sin problem, and the very nature of the little horn power. From Babylon to Rome, mankind is all about this great kingdom “that I have built” (Daniel 4:30). This ultimate self-exaltation leads to the demise of each of the kingdoms, from Babylon to Rome.
God’s kingdom is set up by God Himself upon the foundation Stone of Jesus Christ, and without man’s hand. This is the ultimate destination for God’s people. He wants us to take a journey with Him through time that leads us to the place where we depend upon Him for everything. Daniel 12 directs us to this kingdom of everlasting covenant hope:
“‘At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:1–3
Summary
Daniel chapters 2, 7, 8, and 11 take us on a spiritual journey to God’s eternal home that will finally be established right here, on planet Earth. God lays out the path from Babylon to Rome (both Pagan and Papal), giving us directions, names, distance, and cautions, so we can find our way to His home, where Jesus has prepared a place for us (John 14:1–3). Central to our journey is the life and death of Jesus, the Prince of the Covenant, who has accomplished our release from sin and restoration to God’s kingdom. Each earthly power portrayed in Daniel’s prophetic book has risen and fallen under the same principle of self-exaltation. In contrast to these earthly kingdoms, Jesus, One equal with God, humbled Himself so He could restore us to His image through His covenant faithfulness to God. The ultimate evidence of our arrival to God’s eternal kingdom is that we shine like stars, pointing many to Jesus Christ, our righteousness. When we do this, when we love the world as Christ has loved it, then we are ready for Heaven, for the Kingdom of Heaven is in our hearts.
Appeal
Children of God, written in the book, awakened to everlasting life, shining as the brightness of the stars, and turning many to Jesus Christ our righteousness—may this be our experience as we journey with God each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.