Outside the Box

Daniel 7:7- 19... "After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast....... I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this. So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 'The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth........"Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others....."

I've studied the book of Daniel before. From that I remember that there is a lot of prophecy - or perhaps a better word would be foretelling in Daniel, where there are statements made about things that will happen in the future (of when Daniel wrote it). Some of those things foretold in Daniel have already come to pass, i.e. the fall of Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar living as an animal for a time before becoming sane again, etc. Some have not taken place yet. Such is the above chapter in Daniel.

I am not an expert on biblical prophecy. Actually, I know nothing about it, except that some of the prophecy has been fulfilled and some hasn't. This particular chapter in Daniel tells of what sounds to me like a part of the end times. I don't even want to talk about the end times. There's too much to that. I only want to talk about how my concept of things can be a hindrance.

I've thought of kingdoms in terms of nations or peoples being ruled by some type of government or leader. Not necessarily a king, as in royalty but some leader or other governmental officials. So I figured this passage is about some group of people who are characterized by where they live and who governs them, like a country, nation, city, or even tribe. When I read this passage this week though, my thoughts were expanded. The thing that came to mind is Islam.

Now, before you get all bent out of shape, I'm not planning to dump on Muslims or the Islamic religion. When Islam came to mind it made me think that kingdoms might be peoples who follow specific spiritual (or other common) beliefs. Like Hindus, or Buddhists, or Christians or Jews. These could each be considered kingdoms, couldn't they?

http://www.davidlnelson.md/Cazadero/FiveKingdoms.htm

I guess what I'm saying is that I read words and see certain images. For example, a beast has short legs, a VERY large body, and short arms that seem to get bigger as they reach for you. It is probably hairy all over. The head is large with big eyes. - unless the passage says it has lots of heads and actually describes it. It may have wings - depends on the passage. But this passage in Daniel tells me that the beasts described aren't like that at all. They are really representations of kingdoms. So if I was wrong about what a beast was, it is very possible that I am wrong about what a kingdom is too.

Hopefully that is another hole punched in the wall of the box so I can see outside it and get closer to who God really is and not just an image I have in my head.

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