Daniel 7:1

We have already read of two dreams that Nebuchadnezzar had (Daniel 2:1; Daniel 4:5). Now God gave one to Daniel. It too was a vision from God that came to Daniel as he slept.

"In referring to the experience as ’a dream’ (sing.) Daniel was emphasizing the unity of the revelation and in referring to it as ’visions’ (pl.) he emphasized the successive stages in which the revelation was given. . . . The dream refers to his being asleep, and the visions refer to what he saw while dreaming." [Note: Pentecost, p. 1350.]

This revelation came to Daniel in the first year of Belshazzar’s reign as co-regent with his father, Nabonidus, namely, in 553 B.C. [Note: Wood, A Commentary . . ., p. 179; Archer, "Daniel," pp. 84-85; Whitcomb, p. 91; Chisholm, p. 304. The New Bible Dictionary, 1962 ed., s.v. "Belshazzar," by D. J. Wiseman, claimed the year was 556 B.C.] It was fitting that this vision of the downfall of world empires should come to the prophet during the reign of the last king of Babylon. God gave it to him 50 years after the similar revelation of the great image in chapter 2 (cf. Genesis 41:25; Genesis 41:32). Daniel would have been about 68 years old when he had this dream. Chronologically then we can place this chapter between chapters 4 and 5.

"God does not reveal all His truths at once, even to the wise, but reserves much for age and experience." [Note: Baldwin, p. 138.]

Upon waking, Daniel recorded what he had seen. What follows in this chapter, he wrote, is only a summary of what he saw.

"For the first time in the book, a vision is written down. Earlier OT prophecies were put into writing as a stage in implementing them and, when they were disbelieved, as an evidence that they had been given before the events of which they spoke, and thus were indeed words from God (see Isaiah 8:1; Isaiah 8:16; Isaiah 30:8; Jeremiah 36; Habakkuk 2:2)." [Note: Goldingay, p. 184.]