Lesson One—Daniel 7: Daniel’s Dream of the Four Beasts

Background

The book of Daniel is arranged logically by subject matter rather than chronologically: the first six chapters are historical narratives, and the last six focus on prophecy that was revealed to Daniel.

Daniel 7 centers around a dream that occurred in 553 BC, before the events that were recorded in chapters 5 and 6. Daniel 7 is the last chapter written in Aramaic, as it concludes the information given to Daniel regarding the Times of the Gentiles. Daniel’s dream corresponds to King Nebuchadnezzar’s statue dream in chapter 2, but Daniel’s dream gives us many more details. Daniel is greatly disturbed by this dream and the visions it contained, so upon awaking he wrote down what he saw.

Memory Verse

“But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.” (Daniel 7:18, ESV)