Author	: Bill Kochman
Publish	: Jan. 30, 1998
Update	: Jul. 14, 2025
Parts	: 05

Synopsis:



Continuing our discussion from part one, in chapter seven, which takes place during the first year of the reign of Belshazzar, Daniel also has a night vision. In his dream, he sees four beasts rising up out of the sea, as we see by the following two Bible verses:

"Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another."


From the following verse taken from Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, we know that winds in the Bible sometimes represent spiritual forces:

"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:"


We likewise know that the four beasts in Daniel's dream represent earthly kingdoms and their leaders because this is the interpretation which is given to Daniel by one of the Angelic Messengers later on in the same chapter, as we see by the following two Bible verses:

"I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth."


By comparing Scripture with Scripture, we can also determine that the sea from which these four beasts arise represents the peoples and nations of the Earth. This explanation is found in the Book of Revelation, as we see by this verse:

"And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."


Thus we see that Daniel is actually witnessing the spiritual forces which influence the peoples and nations of the world to produce the various rulers and their dominions. In the very next verse, Daniel then describes Nebuchadnezzar as the first of these four beasts, just as he was the head of gold in the image of chapter two. Consider this verse:

"The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it."


In Daniel chapter four, we discover that the wings of the lion being plucked represent King Nebuchadnezzar's seven-year abasement by the Lord due to his failure to recognize God as the Supreme Sovereign who gives power to the kings of the Earth. Nebuchadnezzar's reign lasted approximately forty-three year from about 605 BC to 562 BC. In 561 BC, Nebuchadnezzar was succeeded by Evil-Merodach, who was responsible for releasing the Jewish King Jehoiachin from prison after thirty-seven years of captivity. After less than three years, King Evil-Merodach was assassinated by Neriglissar, or Nergal-sar-usur, his brother-in-law, in about the year 558 BC. Neriglissar was succeeded four years later in about 554 BC by his young son, Labasi-Marduk, who reigned nine months before being assassinated. Those involved in the conspiracy then elected Nabonidus -- or Nabu-na'id -- to the throne.

At this point, one online source states that Nabonidus was the last king of Babylon and ruled from about 555 BC to 539 BC. However, another online source states that Belshazzar succeeded Nabonidus to the throne around 537 BC, making him the final king. While other historical sources say that he was the son of Nabonidus, the Bible states that Belshazzar was the son of Nebuchadnezzar. However, it should be noted that the Hebrew word "ab" doesn't always mean one's direct physical father, but is also applied to one's forefathers or predecessors. Regardless of whose son he was, the Bible clearly states that Belshazzar was indeed in power when Darius the Mede took over the kingdom. This overthrow took place the very same night of the famous "Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin" writing on the wall. Consider these two verses:

"In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old."


It is important to point out that, except for a few rare occasions -- such as the sudden demise of Belshazzar -- the reigns of these different rulers and their kingdoms was not a cut and dry process. In other words, one empire did not just suddenly end one day and another spring up to take its place. These kingdoms waxed and waned overlapping each other in their influence as well as in the lands and peoples they each dominated. For this reason then, it should come as no surprise for example, that Nebuchadnezzar spoke or at least understood Syriac, which was the language of the Assyrian empire which had dominated the area before him. Consider this verse:

"Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation."


We find the same thing over one hundred years later when Artaxerxes, king of Persia, likewise ruled from Babylon. So it is evident that the Syrian language was a widely-spoken language. Let me mention here that the Assyrians and the Babylonians were actually of the same ethnic stock. They shared the same religion as well. Consider the following verse:

"And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue."


The overthrow of the Babylonian Empire by the Medes and the Persians was in direct fulfillment of the dreams and visions which had been seen by both King Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel. In the description of the image in chapter two, Medo-Persia is described as the breast and arms of silver, thus showing the dual nature of the empire, as we see with these verses.

"This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass . . . And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth."


In the seventh chapter where Daniel has the vision of the four beasts rising up out of the sea, we see Medo-Persia is represented by a bear raised up on one side. Consider this verse:

"And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh."


Cyrus the Great was the founder of the united Medo-Persian Empire. He was known to the Jews by his Hebrew name which is Kowresh or Koresh. Pronounced as ko'-resh, it means "posses thou the furnace". In his native Persian tongue, Cyrus was known as Koorush, or Korrush II. He was the son of Cambyses I.

Notice that the bear is raised up on one of its sides. This is probably because Persia was the stronger half of this dual empire. While Darius the Mede actually took control of Babylon at first, he was under the authority of Cyrus the Great. As I will explain in a moment, the three ribs in the bear's mouth may represent the three kings who ruled prior to Xerxes I, who was the richest of the Medo-Persian kings. In Daniel chapter eight, we find yet another description of the Medo-Persian Empire. Consider the following set of verses:

"Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great . . . The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia."


Finally, in Daniel chapter eleven, Daniel is also given a glimpse into the future concerning the Persian kings who would succeed Darius the Mede, who was the current viceroy of Babylon at that time under Cyrus, according to certain theological sources. Consider these two Bible verses:

"Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia."


Based on the assumption that the Darius the Mede who we find mentioned in the previous verses is the very same Darius who took the kingdom from Belshazzar as per Daniel chapter five, according to secular historical records, this fourth Persian king is most likely Xerxes I, who ruled from about 486 BC to 465 BC. Please note that the succession of the Medo-Persian kings is a bit confusing, and there are conflicting views held amongst historians.

Part of this confusion is due to the fact that these kings were known by different names by different cultures. Plus, there were a number of different rulers by the names of Darius, Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes. As I mentioned earlier, the Darius the Mede who we see mentioned in the previous verses is believed to have ruled for a short period of two years as the viceroy of Babylon under Cyrus the Great, who had not yet entered Babylon. I likewise discuss this topic in articles such as "Seventy Years Prophecy: What It Means".

Following is a short table which shows the proper sequence of the Persian kings with whom we are concerned, along with their alternative names. Please note that Darius the Great is not the same Darius who ruled at the same time as Cyrus the Great:

Ruler's Name       Date       Persian Name      Bible Name
------------       ----       ------------      ----------

Cyrus The Great    539-530    Koorush           Cyrus
(Cyrus II)
Cambyses II        530-521    Cambujieh or      Ahasuerus
(Kambeses II)                 Kamboodhia
Pseudo Smerdis     521        Berooyeh          Artaxerxes
                              Doroughi
Darius the Great   521-486    Darryoosh or      Darius
(Darius I)                    Dayara-Vahusha
Xerxes             486-465    Khashayar or      Ahasurerus
                              Khashayarshah
Artaxerxes I       464-423    Ardeshier         Artaxerxes
                              Deraz Dast

Cambyses II was the son and successor of Cyrus the Great, who is undoubtedly the most well-known and well-loved of Persian kings due to the fact that he not only founded the Persian Empire after uniting the Medes and the Persians, but also because it was during his reign that the Jews obtained their freedom from Babylonian bondage after serving their Seventy Years of Captivity. This topic is amply discussed in my series of the same name. That is to say, "Seventy Years Prophecy: What It Means". It was up to Cyrus's son Cambysses II -- who was named after his grandfather -- to bring Egypt under Persian dominion.

It was while Cambyses II was away in Egypt that a usurper named Pseudo Smerdis temporarily ascended to the Persian throne pretending to be Smerdis, who was another son of Cyrus the Great. It seems that Cambyses II died during the return trip to Persia. It is believed by some people that Pseudo Smerdis may have been the Artaxerxes who we find mentioned in the Book of Ezra who temporarily halted the Jews' work in Jerusalem. Considering that he was a usurper, it makes perfect sense that he would be the one to try to frustrate the work in Jerusalem which had been ordered by Cyrus. Smerdis would in fact continue the obstructionism which had begun with Cyrus' son, Cambyses II.

While Pseudo Smerdis was defeated and killed by Darius the Great after serving only a few months as the Persian king, it still took Darius several years to squelch the local rebellions. This was made easier by the simple fact that the Persian army had remained loyal to Darius, despite the trouble which had been caused by Pseudo Smerdis. Then, once Darius had firmly established his power, he began the work at Persepolis, the ruins of which can still be found today about thirty miles north of Shiraz, Iran. The main hall bears the inscription, "I am Darius, great king, king of kings, king of lands who constructed this palace." This work was later finished by Xerxes I and Artaxerxes.

Like Cyrus the Great, Darius the Great was likewise a great king. It was during his reign that the darik -- also known as the dram or drachma -- was probably introduced to Israel. As the legal heir of the Persian Empire, Darius I also began to groom his son, Xerxes I, to succeed in his footsteps. According to one source, Darius the Great was killed during the sixth year of his reign in the Battle of Marathon, where he was beheaded by the Athenians. However, other historians challenge this view stating that he actually ruled until 486 BC when his son, Xerxes I, became the next legitimate king of the Persian Empire.

According to the prophecy given to Daniel, "the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia." This seems to be perfectly fulfilled in Xerxes I. As can be seen by the above table, Xerxes I -- who was known to the Jews as Ahasuerus -- was indeed the fourth king following Cyrus the Great. The beginning of the Book of Esther seems to confirm Xerxes' wealth, power, fame and the vastness of his empire with the following opening verses:

"Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:) That in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him: When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days. And when these days were expired, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both unto great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace;"


The fact that the young Jewess Esther actually married this great king who was a descendant of Cyrus and Darius, who themselves had shown great kindness to her people, is in my view another confirmation that Xerxes, or Ahasuerus, was indeed the fourth Persian king prophesied by Daniel. The prophecy also states that he would stir up his empire against the Grecians. According to one source which I mentioned earlier, because of his father's early death at the hands of the Athenians -- if it is to be believed -- Xerxes invaded Greece and demolished many of the temples in the city of Athens. However, this source then states that he suffered a naval defeat at the Battle of Salamis after which he fled back to Persia. It is then that we get into the very interesting story of Xerxes and Artaxerxes which is explained in detail in the in-depth series "Seventy Weeks Prophecy: What It Means".

Notice that while the prophecy states that from Darius the Mede there would be three more Persian kings followed by a fourth king who would be the richest of them all, it does not state that he would be the final Persian king. From the historical record, we know that there were in fact several more kings after Xerxes. Following a bit of political treachery, it is believed that Xerxes -- or Ahasuerus -- was eventually succeeded to the throne by his "son" Artaxerxes. It is this Artaxerxes who issued the final proclamation to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon following its destruction over one hundred years before by Nebuchadnezzar. Cyrus the Great and Darius the Great had likewise issued similar proclamations; however, the feat wasn't actually accomplished unto the reign of Artaxerxes due to strong interference from the enemies of the Jews:

"And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia."


Again, these events are discussed in much more detail in my series "Seventy Weeks Prophecy: What It Means". You may have noticed that I placed the word "son" in quotes in the previous paragraph. The reason why I did this is because certain serious questions have been raised concerning the true identity of Xerxes I and Artaxerxes I. As I point out in the aforementioned series, there is some speculation which suggests that these two kings may have actually been one and the same individual who, partially due to Persian tradition, and partially due to political deceit in order to protect himself, may have possibly changed his name.

If Xerxes/Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes were indeed one and the same person -- that is to say, Xerxes the king who simply changed his name -- then it is easy to understand why, in the twentieth year of his reign after having married Queen Esther, he would be motivated to issue the final decree to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. Could it be that the queen who is mentioned in the following verses is actually referring to Queen Esther, who married him while he still used the name Xerxes/Ahasuerus, but who continued to be his queen, even though he changed his name to Artaxerxes? It is difficult to say. Consider the following group of verses:

"And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time."


What I also find strange is that in the previous verse that we read from the Book of Ezra, we are told "and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia". Considering that Xerxes/Ahasuerus was the son of Darius who supposedly reigned BEFORE Artaxerxes, why is he not mentioned here? It seems odd that he would marry Esther, show great favor to the Jews, and yet he would seem to do absolutely nothing during his twenty-one year reign to allow the Jews to resume their work in Jerusalem, as had been commanded by both his father Darius I, and earlier by Cyrus the Great, who was his distant relative.

If we accept the traditional historical record, absolutely nothing would be done to allow the Jews to resume their construction work in Jerusalem until twenty years into the reign of Artaxerxes, who was the supposed "son of" Xerxes. To suggest then that at least forty-one years had passed before this occurred, seems rather unusual to me. Thus, I believe that there might possibly be some truth to this Xerxes/Artaxerxes deception. For more details concerning this deception, and hoping to not sound too redundant, please refer to the series called "Seventy Weeks Prophecy: What It Means".

Following the reign of Artaxerxes -- who was also known as Artaxerxes Longimanus due to his "long hand" -- there were possibly as many as seven more Persian kings before Persia was absorbed by the Grecian Empire. These kings were the following:

Ruler's Name                      Approx. Dates
------------                      -------------

Xerxes II                         425-424 BC
Sogdianos                         424-423
Darius II the Bastard             423-404
Artaxerxes II the Mindful         404-359
Artaxerxes III.                   359-338
Arses                             338-336
Darius III                        336-330

As can be seen, before Darius II ascended to the Persian throne, there was a bit of a power struggle going on which resulted in two interim kings. Darius II, who was the son of Artaxerxes I, was also known as "Ochus" or "Nothus". It is believed that he may possibly have been the Darius who ruled the Medo-Persian Empire during the days of Nehemiah. It was during the reign of Darius III -- who was likewise known as Codomannus -- in about the year 333 BC, that Alexander the Great invaded Iran, which was then known as Persia, thus ending Persian domination.

In the image we discussed earlier from Daniel chapter two, we see that Greece was the third empire, and that it was represented by the belly and thighs of brass. Consider the following two verses:

"This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass . . . And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth."


In Daniel chapter seven, we find Greece being represented by a four-headed leopard having four wings on its back, as we see by the following verse:

"After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it."


In the previous verse, the fact that Greece is represented by a leopard with four wings is very significant, being as it symbolizes the great speed with which Alexander the Great -- also known as Alexander the Macedonian -- conquered the known world of his day. His rise to power and rule over the Grecian empire only lasted about thirteen years, from about 336 BC to 323 BC. At the height of his power, his empire was divided into four smaller weaker kingdoms, which we see are represented by the four heads. In Daniel chapter eight, we see a picture of the Medo-Persian ram pushing against the Grecian he-goat and then being crushed by the Grecian king. Consider the following group of Bible verses:

"And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven . . . And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power."


Notice again that the he-goat does not touch the ground. This probably signifies the speed with which Alexander the Great conquered the known world of his day. Alexander is symbolized by the "notable horn" or "great horn", who was the first king of Greece. Alexander the Great was also known as "The King of Javan", being as the Greeks were descended from Javan, as per the Book of Genesis. In the previous set of verses, we see a very graphical picture of the horns of Medo-Persia being decisively defeated by the overwhelming forces of Alexander the Macedonian. This conflict between Medo-Persia and Greece began during the reign of Darius the Great -- a.k.a. Darius I -- and finds its conclusion with the defeat of Darius Codomannus -- or Darius III -- as I explained earlier.

Up to this point, we have been discussing a lot of ancient history. To Futurist-leaning Christians, this may seem kind of irrelevant, because in their view, some of these verses have not been fulfilled yet. However, with the demise of the Grecian Empire, we begin to close in on some important events which tie in directly with the roots of the Beast. If there is one thing we know from history, it is that no world power lasts forever. As stated above, upon Alexander the Great's death, his empire was subsequently divided into four major regions of jurisdiction, each ruled by a different general. This fact is repeated again a third time in chapter eleven, right after we read the prophecies concerning the four Persian kings. Consider the following group of verses:

"And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those."


In particular, notice the phrase "and not to his posterity". I believe that this phrase corresponds to the words "but not in his power" in the previous verses we read from chapter eight. Following Alexander the Great's demise, the four key heirs of his empire are believed to have been Ptolemy I of the southern kingdom of Egypt; Seleucus I of the eastern area of Babylonia; Antigonus of the northern kingdom comprised of Syria and Asia Minor; and finally, Antipater of the western area of Macedonia and Greece. Returning to Nebuchadnezzar's vision in Daniel chapter two, we discover that right below the belly and thighs of brass, there are two legs made of iron, as we can determine by the following two verses:

Returning to Nebuchadnezzar's vision in Daniel chapter two, we discover that below the belly and thighs of brass, there are two legs made of iron:

"His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay . . . And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise."


Chapter seven follows with a very similar image of this fourth kingdom in which it is described as a terrible beast having great teeth of iron. Consider the following verses:

"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: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns . . . Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces."


Please go to part three for the continuation of this series.

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