Understanding the Symbolism of Daniel 7:2-13: A Chart

Elements of Daniel's Dream	Significance	Notes
The sea (7:2-3)	Symbol for wickedness	cf. Rev. 13
A lion with the wings of an eagle; its wings were plucked off, it stood on two feet, and was given a human mind (7:3-4)	Babylon	The wings that are torn off represents Nebuchadnezzar's insanity, while the lion being given a human mind represents his restoration.
A bear with three ribs in its mouth (7:5).	Medo-Persia	The ribs may depict military triumphs or an insatiable appetite for war.
A leopard-like creature with four wings, four heads, that boasted dominion (7:6)	Greece	The four heads represent the  four kingdoms that were led by Alexander's four generals when he died in 323 B.C.
A powerful beast with iron teeth and ten horns (7:7-8)	Rome	The ten horns represent kingdoms that would arise out of the Old Roman Empire.
A little horn with human eyes and a blasphemous mouth that will pluck out three horns from the fourth beast (7:8)	The antichrist	The antichrist will defeat three of the ten kingdoms, then dominate all of them.
The Ancient of Days  (7:9-10, 13-14)	God the Father	God the Father will give dominion to the Son of Man.
The Son of Man (7:13)	Jesus the Messiah	The Messiah will receive dominion over the entire world and defeat the antichrist.

Understanding the Symbolism Daniel 2:32-45: A Chart

Elements of the Dream	Significance	Notes
Head of gold (2:32)	Babylon (2:36-38)	The God of Heaven had allowed Nebuchadnezzar  to rule over all. The empire dominated from 605-539 B.C.
Chest and arms of silver (2:32)	Medo-Persia (2:39)	The two arms represent the Medes and the Persians. The empire dominated the world from 539-331 B.C.
Belly and thighs of bronze (2:32)	Greece (2:39)	Alexander the Great conquered the Medo-Persians in 332 B.C. The empire dominated the world from 331-146 B.C.
Legs of iron (2:33)	Rome (2:40)	Rome defeated Carthage in 146 B.C., and dominated the world until A.D. 395 (a period of over 500 years), when the nation broke into an Eastern and a Western Empire.
Feet of iron and clay (2:33)	Kingdom of the antichrist (2:41-43)	This represents a mixture of groups that will form one kingdom, but they will not stay united. The ten toes of the feet appear to represent the ten kingdoms of Revelation 13:1; 17:12.
Stone that strikes the statue, destroys it, and becomes a great mountain that fills the whole earth (2:34-35)	Eternal Kingdom of God (2:44-45)	This refers to the earthly reign of the Messiah, who will overthrow all of the kingdoms of the earth, and rule without end.

Romans 12:2: Be Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind (Part 5)

            Because Christ sacrificed His live for us, our duty is to sacrifice our lives to accomplish His purpose in this world. When we do so, we will find that in truth we have lost nothing, but we have gained a peace and joy that only come from walking with Christ. As we continue to walk with Jesus and become more like Him, the relationship becomes sweeter and sweeter, and our testimony will encourage friends and family to follow Christ as well. May we live out the Christian life in an authentic way so as to lead others to His throne where they too may taste of His goodness and mercy. Merry Christmas Eve!

Romans 12:2: Be Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind (Part 4)

            The reason for the believer’s sanctification is in order to prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.  In other words, “the renewed mind can discover and put into action—thereby proving or demonstrating—the will of God . . . . in doing his will, the believer demonstrates sacrificial living.”^[1] This transformation into Christ-likeness is the gift that keeps on giving, because others will observe the believer’s sacrificial living and become interested in the things of Christ.

            As many know, Missouri is called the “Show Me State” because its residents have an “I’ve got to see it to believe it attitude.” Unbelievers hold to the same philosophy when it comes to Christianity. It is one thing to hear the message of the Gospel, but quite another to see the Gospel lived out in a believer’s life. The result of faith put into practice is that many will become followers of Christ because of the believer’s testimony.

            Tomorrow, we will apply the message of Romans 12:2 to our lives.

---

^[1] Kenneth Boa and William Kruidenier, Romans, vol. 6 in the Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 366.

Romans 12:2: Be Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind (Part 3)

            The means by which a believer’s transformation comes about is the renewal of the mind. Paul’s word for renewal exists nowhere outside of the New Testament prior to the writing of the Book of Romans, which means that he probably coined the term. Indeed, renewal only elsewhere appears in Titus 3:5, in which Paul explains that salvation is possible by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. Hence, the continual process of sanctification is impossible apart from the inner work of God’s Spirit.

            Mind often refers to one’s way of thinking. A natural outgrowth of spiritual transformation is a new outlook on life. Believers no longer look at things the way that they did before their conversion, but to see them from God’s eternal perspective: while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:18). This way of thinking prompts the believer to reject a self-serving desire for that which is fleeting in order to selflessly pursue the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33).

            Tomorrow, we will discuss the purpose of the believer's transformation and renewal.

Romans 12:2: Be Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind (Part 2)

            The Greek term transformed is the basis for the English word metamorphosis. This concept refers to a complete and unequivocal change, and perhaps the best example is the transformation of the lowly caterpillar into the majestic butterfly. Interestingly, Matthew 17:2 and Mark 9:2 employ the same Greek expression to describe Jesus’ glorious transfiguration before Peter, James, and John.

            Unlike Jesus’ visible manifestation of His deity, however, the believer’s present transformation is not external in nature. Jesus’ followers will not receive sinless, glorified bodies until His future return in the clouds (1 Cor. 15:50-53). Rather, to be transformed involves “a radical reorientation that begins deep within the human heart.”^[1]

            This development is not something that a believer can accomplish independently. Paul did not command Christians to “transform yourselves,” but to “be transformed.” In other words, the apostle declared that a believer cannot experience spiritual growth independently of Christ: apart from Me you can do nothing (John 15:5b). Furthermore, the force of the admonition is such that the believer’s transformation should not be an occasional endeavor, but steady and continuous.

            Tomorrow, we will examine the significance of the phrase, 

"Renewal of the Mind."

---

^[1] Robert H. Mounce, Romans, vol. 27 in The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2001), 233.

Romans 12:2: Be Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind (Part 1)

            When I placed my faith in Christ at the age of twelve, I experienced a peace that truly passes all understanding. I rightfully realized that true joy was mine to cherish because of my new relationship with the Lord, but I misunderstood the nature of the Christian life. I reasoned that because now I was a follower of Christ that I would no longer need to worry about problems or temptations. How mistaken I was!

            Jesus described salvation as a new birth (John 3:7). This imagery indicates that the believer is not fully developed at the moment of regeneration, but must grow and mature spiritually. The New Testament refers to this development as sanctification, a process by which followers of Jesus progressively become more like Him as they continue to walk with Him. Paul addressed the passage at hand to his spiritual brothers (Rom. 12:1), so Romans 12:2b explains what must occur for a Christian to continue in his or her sanctification. Tomorrow, we will looking at the meaning of the word "transformed" in Romans 12:2.