The Different between Daniel 2 & Daniel 7.
These two chapters contain great insight into what God is doing in these times of the end of the Gentiles Ruling the world.
Daniel 2 reveals a Great Image that symbolises the whole of the Gentile`s rulership by 5 World Rulers. Four world Rulers have come and gone. Their governments have been found wanting and God dealt with them. They were - Babylon, Medes & Persians, Greece and Rome. We do not see these governments anymore and God does not revive those people that ruled.
The last world ruler has yet to emerge. When it does it will be a divided kingdom, and the last before God sets up His kingdom rule through Israel.
Daniel 7 on the other hand reveals great powers that arise one at a time just before God sets up His kingdom rule. These great powers continue all at the same time till finally the last one gains power over the others and becomes the world Ruler. This last one matches the `divided kingdom` of Daniel 2.
Thus God has given us an overview of the times of the Gentiles ruling the world, (Dan. 2) and then also the great powers heading up to the final Gentile world ruler.
Knowing the difference enables one to clearly see what is happening in our world today. However those who confuse the two chapters are always confused and conjecturing about what is happening.
That is good and that is my belief.
Daniel 2 and 7 are the same but Daniel 7 tells of a world leader.
Dan 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
Dan 7:2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
Dan 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
Daniel had a vision of 4 kingdoms that shall come one after the other that would be different than each other which is the 4 ways of people and while all 4 went by all 4 ways one of those ways was their chief mode of operation.
Dan 7:4 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.
The first is Babylon which represents human religion, the occult, and when they lost the revelation of the God of Israel they became known as the kingdom of man.
Dan 7:5 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.
The second is Medo-Persia which represents physical cruelty in war.
Dan 7:6 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.
The third is Greece which represents human wisdom.
Dan 7:7 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.
Dan 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
Dan 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Dan 7:23 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.
Dan 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time
The fourth is the Roman Empire which represents pushing for power, territory.
The 10 horns is the world split in to 10 sections with a leader in each section, one world government when the nations come together, and the antichrist comes from the 10 horns which the 10 horns hand their power over to him and he gets control of the world which they shall devour the whole world.
The 3 horns plucked up by the roots is probably the 6th trumpet which is Islam against the world because they stopped the preaching of anything contrary to the new age movement which interprets the Bible and all religions according to the occult and evolution and they are still evolving and there is no personal God and nuclear bomb the Arab nations for they rebelled against the one world government and religious system.
Dan 7:11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
Dan 7:12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
The Roman Empire does not lose her dominion until Jesus puts them down.
The other 3 beasts will never have physical dominion again but their lives were prolonged for a time and a season which means their ways are still on earth and they show up at the beast kingdom which is the kingdom of man in its entirety with no belief in a personal God.
Which in Daniel 2 the 4 kingdoms do not pass away until Jesus hits the feet with 10 toes which is the same as the 10 horns and then they are found no more for if their ways are still on earth they have nor fallen yet.
Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Rev 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
In chapter 12 the crowns are on the heads which is Satan in the spiritual realm deceiving people by way of the 7 kingdoms, and in chapter 13 the crowns are on the horns which is Satan in the natural realm deceiving people as the New Age Christ.
All 4 kingdoms are at the beast kingdom.
The 10 horns is the Roman Empire which has the physical dominion and its chief mode of operation of pushing for power, territory.
With the ways of a lion which is Babylon's chief mode of operation human religion, the occult, and the kingdom of man.
Which the beast kingdom is Babylon in spirit for it represents human religion, the occult, and the kingdom of man.
With the ways of a bear which is Medo-Persia's chief mode of operation physical cruelty in war to take away all people that oppose their kingdom.
With the ways of a leopard which is Greece's chief mode of operation human wisdom.
This kingdom believes in no personal God and only goes by their ways which the beast kingdom is the kingdom of man in its entirety which there has not been a kingdom like that before it.
This kingdom believes they are still evolving to be spiritual.