The seven chapter of the Book of Daniel tells of Daniel's vision of four kingdoms replaced by the Kingdom of God. The name Dan-iel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means, "God is my Judge."
The Book of Daniel is a biblical record consisting of an account of the activities and visions of Daniel, a noble Jew exiled at Babylon. Its message is that just as the God of the Israel saved Daniel and his friends from their enemies, so He would save all of His people in their present oppression.
In the 3rd year of Jeho-Iakim (he whom God has set up), king of Judah, God allowed Jerusalem to fall into the power of Nebu-Chad-Nezzar, king of Babylon. After Jos-Iah's death, Jeho-Iakim's younger brother Jeho-Ahaz (also known as Sallum) was proclaimed king, but after 3 months pharaoh Necho II, in whom the power of God was active, deposed him, making Eli-Akim king in his place. When placed on the throne, his name was changed to Jeho-Akim. Young Jews of noble and royal family without defect, and handsome, versed in wisdom and competent to serve in the palace of the king, were taken to Babylon, a major city of Mesopotamia in the fertile plain between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans. Babylon was built upon the Euphrates and divided in equal parts along its left and right banks, with steep embankments to contain the river's seasonal floods. Chaldea is referred to the low, marshy, alluvial land around the estuaries of the Tigris and Euphrates, which in ancient times discharged their waters through separate mouths into the sea. Two different powers were behind this physical behavior. In later time the Chaldeans had burst their narrow bonds and obtained their short but powerful lived period of ascendency over all of Babylonia, and briefly gave their name to the whole land, which was then called Chaldea, particularly the Jews.
Among the Jews selected and taken to Babylon from Jerusalem were Daniel and his three companions, in total 4 individuals, who refused to touch the royal food and wine for fear of spiritual defilement. Their overseer feared for his life in case the health of his charges deteriorated in power, but Daniel suggested a trial and the four emerged healthier than their counterparts from 10 days of nothing but vegetables and water. they were allowed to continue to refrain from eating the king's food, and to Daniel came the power of God giving him insight into visions and dreams. When their training was done Nebu-Chad-Nezzar found them 10 times better than all the wise men in his service and therefore kept them at his court, where Daniel continued until the 1st year of king Cyrus.
In the 2nd year of his reign Nebu-Chad-Nezzar was troubled by a dream, and demanded that his wise men tell him its content. When the wise men protested that it was beyond the power of any man he sentenced all, including Daniel and his three friends to death. Daniel received an explanatory vision from God: Nebu-Chad-Nezzar had seen an enormous statue with a Head of gold, Breast and Arms of silver, Belly and Thighs of bronze, Legs of iron, and Feet of mixed iron and clay. Then saw the statue destroyed by a Rock that turned into a Mountain filling the whole earth.
Daniel explained the dream to the king: the statue symbolized Four successive kingdoms, starting with Nebu-Chad-Nezzar, all of which would be crushed by God's Kingdom, which would endure forever.
Nebu-Chad-Nezzar acknowledged the supremacy of Daniel's God, and raised him over all his wise men, and placed him and his companions over Babylon.
The Kingdom of God is one of the key elements of the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament. The Old Testament refers to "God the Judge of all" and the notion that all humans will eventually "be judged" is an essential element of Christian teachings, and the task of judgment is assigned to Jesus.
Daniel 7 explains that four beasts come out of the sea, the Ancient of Days sits in judgement over them, and one like a son of man is given eternal kingship. An angelic guide interprets the beasts as kingdoms and kings, the last of whom will make war on the 'holy ones' of God, but he will be destroyed and the 'holy ones' will be given eternal dominion.
The Four beasts coming out of the sea need to be apprehended by reason. The material universe in the human consciousness is fashioned and shaped by the four evil beasts, and felt by the human senses, while the non-material containing the good, only can be felt when we avoid the food presented by the world and eat only from the sources that make us grow in the spirit and be able to use the higher senses of the spirit and connect ourselves to the one representing the "Ancient of Days." The self-reflection of Daniel and his companions in obtaining 10 times higher the power needed in their human abilities in order to serve the king of the world confirm to us that the power of the world is nothing compared to the power of God.
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