Wenstrom Bible Ministries Marion, Iowa Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom wenstrom

1. Wenstrom Bible MinistriesMarion, IowaPastor-Teacher Bill Wenstromwww.wenstrom.org

2. Thursday May 23, 2013Daniel: Daniel 7:15-Daniel’s Soul was Distressed Because the Visions in His Mind Terrified HimLesson # 214

3. Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 7:1.

4. Daniel 7:1 During Belshazzar’s, Babylon’s king, first year, Daniel saw a dream specifically visions in his mind on his bed. Then, he wrote down the dream. He declares the beginning of the account. 2 Daniel began to speak and said, “I was in a trance like state, staring because of my vision during the night as behold the heaven’s four winds were blowing violently against the great sea.

5. 3 Then, four great beasts, one different from the other, came up out from the sea. 4 The first beast was like a lion with eagle’s wings attached to it. I was in a trance like state staring when its wings were torn off. Then it was lifted up from the ground for the purpose of it standing on two feet like a human being. A human mind was also given to it.

6. 5 Next, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear with it raised up to one side with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. Then, they issued orders to it, ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’ 6 After this, I was staring in a trance like state as behold, another one, was like a leopard with it having four bird’s wings on its back. Also, the beast had four heads. Indeed, governmental dominion was given to it.

7. 7 After this, I was continuing to stare in a trance like state because of these night visions as behold, a fourth beast, intimidating, yes even terrifying as well as extremely powerful, possessing two large rows of iron teeth. It devoured as well as crushed. Specifically, it violently crushed the rest with its feet. Indeed, it was characterized as different from all the beasts which were before it in the sense of possessing ten horns.

8. 8 I was contemplating in a trance like state because of these horns as behold, another little horn emerged out from among them. Then, the first three originating from the horns was torn out by being in the presence of it. In fact, behold, on this horn, were eyes like a human being’s eyes as well as a mouth speaking boastfully.

9. 9 I was continuing to stare in a trance like state when thrones were set up. Then, the One Ancient in Days sat. His clothing was white like snow. Also, the hair of His head was like lamb’s wool. His throne was fiery flames. Its wheels were a blazing fire.

10. 10 A river composed of fire was flowing, yes issuing forth from His presence. A thousand times a thousand were continually rendering worshipful service to Him. In fact, ten thousand times ten thousand were continually standing in His presence. The court convened resulting in scrolls being opened.

11. 11 I was continuing to stare in a trance like state at that time because of the sound coming from the boastful words which the horn was making a habit of speaking. I was continuing to stare in a trance like state when the beast was killed. In fact, its body was destroyed. Specifically, it was given over to the consuming fire.

12. 12 On the other hand, the rest of the beasts, their governmental dominion was taken away, though for their benefit an extension of life was granted for a period of time, yes an appointed period of time. 13 I was continuing to stare in a trance like state because of these visions as behold One like a Son of Man was coming upon the clouds of heaven. Specifically, He went up to the One Ancient in Days in the sense that He approached His presence.

13. 14 Then, governmental dominion was given to Him as well as honor and in addition sovereignty in order that each and every person belonging to the nations, ethnicities as well as language groups would serve Him. His governmental dominion is an eternal governmental dominion which can never be taken away so that His kingdom is one which can never be destroyed.” (Author’s translation)

14. Daniel 7:15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me.” (NASB95)

15. Daniel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is employing the figure of “asyndeton” in order to emphasize the statement here in verse 15 which records Daniel telling his readers that his soul was distressed within him because of the visions in his mind terrified him.

16. This figure is emphasizing with the reader this vision caused Daniel’s soul to be distressed within him because of these visions which terrified him.

17. This figure emphasizes with the reader that this vision caused him fear and terror.

18. “As for me” is the first person singular personal pronoun ʾǎnā(h) (אֲנָה) (an-aw´), which emphasizes the emotion of fear which this vision produced in Daniel.

19. This word functions as a nominative absolute, which serves to highlight or focus upon one element of the main clause emphasizing that this vision distressed Daniel’s soul because it terrified him.

20. “My spirit” is composed of the feminine singular construct form of the noun rûaḥ (רוּחַ) (roo´-akh), “spirit” which is modified by the first person singular pronominal suffix –î (־י) (ee), “my.”

21. The noun rûaḥ means “soul” rather than “spirit” since these visions affected Daniel’s emotions and the soul and not the spirit is the place in which a person’s emotions reside.

22. The soul contains the self-consciousness, conscience, mentality, emotion and volition.

23. The mentality is of course the place of a person’s mental activity.

24. The soul contains one’s frame of reference and memory center and is also the place where one’s vocabulary and the classification of thoughts reside.

25. The conscience is where the norms and standards reside.

26. The subconscious is the place where various categories of things that shock or impress from adversity, sin, failure or disappointment are located.

27. Also, it contains the volition, which enables a person to make decisions.

28. “Was distressed” is the third person feminine singular plural eṯpə‘el (Hebrew: qal) (also written: Hiṯpə‘el, hitpeʿel, hithpe‘el or ethpe‘el) passive perfect form of the verb kerā(h) (כְּרָה) (kaw-raw´), which means “to be distressed” in the sense of being in a state of great trouble implying an external and usually temporary cause of great mental strain and stress.

29. This word indicates that Daniel’s soul was distressed in the sense that it was troubled as a result of the visions he received from God about the future of planet earth which caused him temporary mental strain and stress.

30. “Within me” is composed of the preposition bĕ (בְּ) (beh), which is followed by the masculine singular construct form of the noun gǎw (גַּו) (gav), and together they are translated “within” and then we have masculine singular form of the noun niḏ·ně(h) (נִדְנֶה) (nid-neh´), “me.”

31. The noun niḏ·ně(h) literally means “sheath, scabbard” referring to a container for a sword but is used here in a figurative sense for Daniel’s physical body.

32. This word views the human body as the container or receptacle for the human soul like sheath or scabbard is for a knife or a sword.

33. The noun gǎw means “the midst of” and is the object of the preposition bĕ, which means “in” since it functions as a marker of location in that it is marking the midst of the body as the location in which Daniel’s soul was distressed.

34. Thus this prepositional phrase denotes that Daniel’s soul was distressed in the midst of his body.

35. “And the visions in my mind kept alarming me” is epexegetical meaning that it explains specifically why Daniel’s soul was distressed in the midst of his body.

36. “The visions” is the masculine plural construct form of the noun ḥězû (חֱזוּ) (khay´-zev), which refers to Daniel receiving a supernatural revelation from God while he was awake.

37. It describes an appearance of something in his mind that was a supernatural revelation to communicate a truth to him, not seen as a sensory perception.

38. This term ḥězû in Daniel 7:15 speaks of revelation from God the Holy Spirit with regards to the Father’s will for planet earth, which is recorded in Daniel 7:2-14 and denotes that God gave Daniel revelation with regards to His future plans for planet earth.

39. This noun denotes that Daniel received these revelations while he was in a trance or altered state of consciousness in which extrasensory audiovisual experiences, which were revelatory in character, were perceived by him in the privacy of his own bedroom.

40. “Kept alarming me” is composed of the third person masculine plural paʿʿel (Hebrew: piel) active imperfect form of the verb behǎl (בְּהַל) (bĕ-hal´), “kept alarming” which is followed by the first person singular pronominal suffix -î (־י) (ee), “me.”

41. The verb behǎl means “to cause one to be terrified” indicating that the visions Daniel received from God the Holy Spirit caused him to be terrified.

42. Daniel 7:15 “As for me, Daniel, my soul was distressed in the midst of my body. Specifically, the visions in my mind caused me to be terrified.” (My translation)

43. Daniel shares with the reader the emotional affect that these visions produced in his soul.

44. These visions he received from God the Holy Spirit caused his soul to be distressed because of the four beasts.

45. Daniel 7:19-21 indicates that Daniel was primarily occupied with the ten horns of the fourth beast and specifically the little horn and he sensed that these beasts and the little horn represented some type of evil.

46. The vision of the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man would have caused reverential fear in Daniel since he would have sensed these two subdued the four beasts and the little horn.

47. These visions would have distressed the soul of Daniel because they were a supernatural revelation from God regarding the future of planet earth.

48. They were revelation regarding the future of his people the Jews as well as the Gentiles.

49. God the Holy Spirit was giving Daniel a composite picture of the future of planet earth and didn’t know it until an elect angel interpreted the vision for him.

50. So in effect, Daniel is telling the reader that he was emotionally and intellectually and spiritually overwhelmed by what he saw in the visions.