King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Jerusalem and led away many captives. Among these was the prophet Daniel. The book Daniel wrote which bears his name is at times filled with symbolic language.
Just as military planners send secret messages in code to keep the enemy from intercepting and understanding them, so God had Daniel cloak prophecy in symbolic language. He didn’t use symbols to prevent us from understanding His messages. He used them so the evil powers He exposed wouldn’t readily see themselves in the messages and attempt to tamper with them, change them, or destroy them.
By using symbolic images and prophetic pictures, God is able to condense thousands of years of history into a very small space. Each prophetic symbol is clearly explained in Scripture. Once you understand the meaning of the symbol, Bible prophecy becomes plain. To help you in your understanding, study the chart below. The left-hand column lists the symbol as it appears in Bible prophecy. The center column lists the text which explains the symbol. The right-hand column gives the meaning of the symbol.
| Symbol | Clarifying Text | What the Symbol Means | ||
| Metals in Daniel 2—gold, silver, brass, iron | Daniel 2:38-40 | Four successive world empires beginning in Daniel’s day | ||
| Head of gold in Daniel 2:38 | Daniel 2:31-32 | Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom—Babylon | ||
| Toes of image in Daniel 2:41 | Daniel 2:41 | A divided kingdom | ||
| The rock cut out without hands in Daniel 2:34 | Daniel 2:44, 45 | God’s eternal kingdom | ||
| The tree in Daniel 4:10 | Daniel 4:20-22 | King Nebuchadnezzar | ||
| The cutting down of the tree in Daniel 4:14 | Daniel 4:24, 25 | King Nebuchadnezzar’s loss of his throne to temporary insanity | ||
| The band of iron and brass around the tree’s stump in Daniel 4:15 | Daniel 4:26 | Nebuchadnezzar’s empire preserved | ||
| The mysterious writing on the wall of Belshazzar’s banquet hall in Daniel 5:5 | Daniel 5:26-28 | God’s judgment pronounced upon Babylon | ||
| Four winds in Daniel 7:2 | Jeremiah 49:36, 37 (See also Revelation 7:1, 2) | Winds equal devastation and destruction. The number four symbolizes the directions of the compass—North, South, East, and West. | ||
| Sea in Daniel 7:2 | Revelation 17:15 | Multitudes, peoples, nations | ||
| Beasts in Daniel 7:3 | Daniel 7:17, 23 | Empires or kingdoms | ||
| The lion, bear, leopard, and dragon-like beast in Daniel 7:3-8 | Daniel 7:4-7 | Four successive world empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome | ||
| Ten horns in Daniel 7:7-8 | Daniel 7:24 (first part) | Ten kings or kingdoms—divisions of power | ||
| Little horn in Daniel 7:8 | Daniel 7:24, 25 (last part) | A diverse or different power; one that is not political, but religious in nature | ||
| Eyes like a man in Daniel 7:8 | Ephesians 1:18 | Eyes equal understanding or wisdom. Eyes like a man indicate a system based on human, rather than divine, wisdom | ||
| Clouds of heaven in Daniel 7:13 | Matthew 16:27; Revelation 1:7 | Angels | ||
| A prophetic day | Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6; Genesis 29:27 |
One year | ||
| Time, times, and half a time in Daniel 7:25 | Revelation 12:6, 14 | 1,260 prophetic days or 1,260 literal years | ||
| Son of man in Daniel 7:13 | Luke 19:10; Luke 21:27 | Jesus Christ | ||
| Ram in Daniel 8:3 | Daniel 8:20 | Media-Persia | ||
| He goat in Daniel 8:5 | Daniel 8:21 | Greece | ||
| Prince of the Host in Daniel 8:11 | Daniel 9:25, 10:13, 12:1; Isaiah 9:6 | Jesus Christ | ||
| Transgression in Daniel 8:12 | 1 John 3:4 | Sin is the transgression, or breaking, of God’s law | ||
| Transgression or abomination of desolation | Daniel 11:31, 32 | Open rebellion against God, His word, and His law—the Ten Commandments | ||
| 2300 prophetic days in Daniel 8:14 | Ezekiel 4:6; Numbers 14:34 | 2,300 literal years | ||
| Seventy weeks in Daniel 9:24 | Ezekiel 4:6; Numbers 14:34 | 490 literal years | ||
| Messiah the Prince in Daniel 9:25 | Matthew 1:21 | Jesus Christ | ||
| The covenant in Daniel 9:27 | Matthew 26:28 | God’s plan of salvation through the blood of Christ | ||
| The prince of the kingdom of Persia in Daniel 10:13 | John 12:31 | The prince of this world, or Satan | ||
| King of the South in Daniel 11:5 | Exodus 5:2 | Spiritual Egypt, anti-God powers, atheistic powers | ||
| King of the North in Daniel 11:7 | Revelation 14:8, 9; 18:1-5 | Spiritual Babylon, or false religious powers which, under the guise of religion, deceive with false teachings | ||
| Tidings from the east in Daniel 11:44 | Matthew 24:27 | The message of Christ’s soon return | ||
The prophetic book of Daniel was written for our time. Its prophecies speak with increased meaning to this generation. The angel Gabriel specifically told Daniel to “seal up” these prophecies until the “time of the end.” Daniel 12:4.
The Bible prophet, Daniel, outlines in vivid detail world events now unfolding before our eyes. His predictions, covering twenty-five hundred years of history, clearly outline world events from the prophet’s time (six hundred years before Christ) to ours.
As we near the close of earth’s history, these amazing predictions become more detailed. They provide “inside information” on the enemy’s plans. They reveal the last-day delusions Satan uses to deceive the world’s population. They also carefully outline God’s strategy for the end time. Best of all, the prophet reveals how to thrive in the tough times ahead. The days ahead will be difficult. A crisis of unimagined fury will break upon our world.
Daniel describes how to tap into resources of spiritual power. As a hostage in a foreign land, subjected to the pressures of mind manipulation, Daniel triumphed. He overcame insurmountable odds. We can too! Daniel clearly models the life-skills we need:
Daniel, chapter 1, introduces the theme of the entire book—a titanic struggle between good and evil. It reveals God’s divine power in an unusual way. God is never taken by surprise. He is never caught off guard. His plans triumph in the midst of apparently insurmountable odds. ALWAYS.