XII. Relationship of Daniel and the Apocalypse

When we examine the Revelation closely we find it to be tied inseparably to the book of Daniel. ^{14Boutflower’s parallels are so pertinent that I follow them closely in this section.} John’s New Testament symbols are definitely based on the antecedent symbols of that Old Testament apocalypse. His great prophetic outlines parallel, continue, and clarify the symbolic message of Daniel, and constitute the complement and the completion of those earlier prophecies. And this is not to be wondered at, in the light of Christ’s singling out of Daniel for such special emphasis and specific citation.PFF1 156.1

In this book of Revelation there are constant echoes and frequent quotations of word or thought from the former prophet. There are even striking parallels. Note a few of the similar expressions:PFF1 156.2

1. The things which must shortly come to pass. (Daniel 2:29, 45; cf. Revelation 1:19; 4:1.)PFF1 156.3

2. The sweeping away of the fragments of the colossus of world power, so that “no place was found for them.” (Daniel 2:35; cf. Revelation 20:11.)PFF1 156.4

3. The composite symbolic beasts. (Daniel 7; cf. Revelation 13.)PFF1 157.1

4. Compelling men to worship the great image. (Daniel 3:5, 6; cf. Revelation 13:16.)PFF1 157.2

5. The scenes of judgment. (Daniel 7:13, 14; cf. Revelation 14:7.)PFF1 157.3

6. Great Babylon. (Daniel 4:30; cf. Revelation 14:8; 17:5; 18:2, 10, 21.)PFF1 157.4

7. The gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone. (Daniel 5:23; cf. Revelation 9:20.)PFF1 157.5

The earlier visions of Daniel are made luminous in the light of the Revelation. The “Son of man,” of Daniel 7:13, 14, is interpreted in the Revelation just as Christ, while on earth, interpreted it to the high priest (Matthew 26:64), for we are told precisely who it is that later comes in the clouds of heaven in tremendous power and glory—“Behold, He [Jesus Christ, verse 5] cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him.” Revelation 1:7 (Mark 14:62). It is the crucified Jesus who is to come again. His crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension provide the way for the glory of His second advent. He is again identified as the One who comes riding on a cloud as the Judge of mankind, as John again sees Him coming “upon the cloud” to reap the separating harvest of the earth. (Revelation 14:14, 16.)PFF1 157.6

Christ was seen by John just as “one like the Son of man” was seen by Daniel. His eyes like flaming fire, and His feet like burnished brass, and His voice as the voice of many waters, identify the risen Redeemer who appeared to John as the Person seen by Daniel on the banks of the river Hiddekel, or Tigris. (Cf. Revelation 1:13-15; 14:12 with Daniel 7:9; 10:4-6.) He is described similarly as He again reveals His identity in the message to the church of Thyatira. (Revelation 2:8.) The over powering effect upon both prophets was the same. (Daniel 10:8; cf. Revelation 1:17.) Further, the man clothed in linen, of Daniel 12:6, 7, standing above the waters, with his right hand lifted to heaven in solemn oath to Him that liveth forever and ever, speaking concerning the appointed time, is strikingly repeated in Revelation 10:5, 6. So the Old Testament and New Testament visions closely parallel each other, and help to explain and complement each other.PFF1 157.7

Many obscurities of Daniel are cleared up in the Revelation. For instance, there is the identification of Daniel’s fourth kingdom. The symbolic “beast” of Revelation 13—which is followed through to its final stage in Revelation 17—is to be placed side by side with the vision of the “beasts” of Daniel 7. John sees not a succession of four beasts, rising from the sea, but now only one—indicating that three have already arisen and passed away, and that this one that is existent, is the fourth and last of the series. The beast of Revelation 13 and the fourth beast and Little Horn of Daniel 7 appear to symbolize the same empire or world-dominating power. This is shown not only by means of the telltale feature of the ten horns (Revelation 13:1; cf. Daniel 7:7, 24), but by their characteristics and actions.PFF1 158.1

Daniel did not liken his ten-horned fourth beast to any specific creature, except to describe it as being “dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly.” (Revelation 17:9.) But John describes his composite leopard beast as an amalgamation of the first three beasts of Daniel, with body like a leopard, feet like a bear, and mouth like a lion. (Revelation 17:18.) The analogy between this beast and the similar seven-headed and ten-horned beast on which the woman Babylon rides, in Revelation 17, whose heads are specifically described as denoting seven hills, was strongly suggestive of Rome as the persecuting and blasphemous power.PFF1 158.2

Therefore the contemporary reader must have known of whom John wrote under this figure as plainly as though he had named Rome, a fact which would have been unwise to state, for she was still a crushing despotism. Not only had many classical writers before or during the first century of the Christian Era, such as Virgil, Horace, Tibullus, Propertius, Ovid, Silius Italicus, Statius, Claudius, and Martial, written of Rome as the seven-hilled city, ^{15Christopher Wordsworth, The New Testament ...in ... Greek, on Revelation 17:1; see also H. Grattan Guinness, The City of the Seven Hills, Appendix, Note 1.} but the emperor Vespasian (69-79), in A.D. 71, placed on the reverse side of a coin bearing his likeness a symbol of Rome as a woman seated upon seven hills, with the traditional wolf suckling the two orphans, Romulus and Remus, by her side—the insigne of the city of Rome to this present day. And underneath is given the explicit identification, “Roma.” ^{16A.D. 71.... Roma with her seven hills-obviously a well-known representation, as a passage like Revelations [sic] 17:1-9 proves-is certainly a ‘Roma Renascens.’” (Harold Mattingjy, The Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, vol. 2, p. ivi; see also illustration, plate 34, no. 5, p. 187, no. 774; this same included in Henry Cohen, Description historique des monnaies frappées sous I’empire remain, vol. 1, p. 398, no. 404) See reproduction on page 160} (See illustration on page 160.)PFF1 158.3

Picture 1: THE PALATINE, ONE OF ROME’S SEVEN IDENTIFYING HILLS
Rome was known throughout the ancient classics as the “City of the seven hills,” and is represented thus on a coin of the empire. (See illustration on page 160.) part of the Roman forum appears in the foreground, with the palace of Caligula at the right. When John wrote of the symbolic woman on the seven mountains, everyone knew he wrote of Rome.
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Picture 2: ROMAN COINS REFLECT ROMAN HISTORY
On reverse side of coin of Augustus Caesar, who ruled when Christ was born, was the likeness of a winged beast similar to prophetic symbols employed by Daniel (upper left); striking symbol of rome as a woman sitting on the famed seven hills, with the identifying insigne of the wolf suckling the two orphans, Romulus and Remus, on reverse side of a Vespasian coin of ad. 71 (upper right); another Vespasian coin commemorating the captivity of the Jews (iudaea capta) with Jewish maiden sitting dejectedly under a palm tree (lower left); inscription addressed to the holy Sun God (lower right).
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We have seen that the whole gospel message of the apostles was interwoven with the luminous strands of prophecy. The apostolic witness to the Messiahship of Jesus was based upon and tied inseparably into prophecy. The whole New Testament contains a fundamentally prophetic message—the kingdom of grace which was to be established in men’s hearts during the Christian Era, and the future kingdom of glory at the return of Jesus. The apostolic church was thus a prophecy-conscious and prophecy-instructed body, understanding the times. They were acquainted with the prophetic outline of the future, and knew where they were living in relation to God’s schedule of the ages up to their time, for the seventy weeks of years they knew were ended after the Messiah had been cut off, and the sacrifice and oblation made to cease. Rome—the fourth prophetic world power-filled the civilized world, and was soon recognized, as will be seen, as the predicted restrainer of that prophesied falling away that was the concern of the prophets and the fear of the church. The historical records showing the fulfillment of prophecy, now clear to us, were vivid, present-day realities to them.PFF1 160.1