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Geneva Bible Notes (1560): Daniel 7

1 ! A vision of foure beastes is shewed vnto Daniel.

1 a Whereas the people of Israel loked for a continual quietnes after these seuentie yeres, as Jeremiah had declared, he sheweth that this rest shal not be a deliuerance from all troubles, but a beginning, & therefore incouraged them to loke for a continual affliction til the Messiah be vttered, and reueilied by whome they shulde haue a apiritual deliuerance, and all the promises fulfilled: whereof they shulde haue a certeine token in the destruction fo the Babylonical kingdome.

2 b Which signified that there shulde be horrible troubles and afflictions in the worlde in all corners of the worlde and at sondrie times.

4 c Meaning the Assyrian and Caldean empire, which was moste strong & fierce in power, and moste sone come to their autoritie as thogh thei had had wings to flye: yet their wings were pulled by the Persians, & thei went on their feet, and were made like other men which is here ment by mans heart.

5 g To wit, the Angels by Gods commandement who by this meanes punished the ingratitude of the worlde.

5 f That is, destroyed many kingdomes, & was insaciable.

5 d Meaning the Persians which were barbarous and crule.

5 e Thei were smale in the beginning and were shut vp in their mountaines and had no brute.

6 i That is, his foure chief captaines, which had the empire among them after his death. Seleucus had Asia the great, Antigonus the lesse, Cassander, and after him Antipater was King of Macedonie, and Ptolomeus had Egypt.

6 k It was not of him selfe nor of his owne power that he gate all these countries: for his armie conteined, but thirtie thousand men, and he ouercame in one battel Darius, which had ten hundreth thousand, when he was so heauie with slepe that his eyes were scarse open, as the stories reporte: therefore this power was giue him of God.

7 m Signifying the tyrannie and griedines of the Romains.

7 l That is, the Romain empire which was as a monster & colde not be compared to anie beast, because the nature of none was able to expresse it.

7 n That which the Romains colde not quietly enioie in other countries, thei wolde giue it to other Kings and rulers that at all times when thei wolde, thei might take it againe: which liberalitie is here called the stamping of the rest vnder the fete.

7 o That is, sondrie and diuers prouinces which were fouerned by the deputies and proconsuls, whereof euerie one might be compared to a King.

8 q Meaning, a certeine portion of the ten hornes: that is, a parte from the whole estate was pluckt awaie. For Augustus toke from the Senat the libertie of chosing the deputes to send into the prouinces, and toke the gouernement of certeine countries to him self.

8 r These Romaine Emperours at the first vsed a certeine humanitie and gentlenes, and were contento that others as the Consuls and Senat shulde beare the name of dignitie, so that thei might haue the profite, and therefore in elections and counsels wolde behaue them selues according as did other Senatours: yet against their enemies and those that wolde resis them, thei were fierce and cruel, which is here ment by the proud mouth.

8 p Which is ment of Julius Cesar, Agustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudimus, and Nero &c. who were as Kings in effect, but because thei colde not rule, but by the consent of the Senat, their power is compared to a litle horne. For Mahomet came not of the Romaine empire, and the Pope hathe no vocacion of Gouernement: therefore this can not be applied vnto them and also in this prophecie the Prophets purpose is chiefly to comfort the Jewes vnto the reuelation of Christ. Some take it for the whole bodie of Antichrist.

8 ! The ten hornes of the fourth beast.

9 t That is, God which was before all times, and is here described as mans nature is able to comprehend some protion of his glorie.

9 s Meaning the places where God and his Angels shulde come to judge these monarchies, which judgement shulde beginne at the first comming of Christ.

10 u That is, an infinite nomber of Angels, which were ready to execute his commandement.

10 x That is ment of the first comming of Christ when as the wil of God was plainely reueiled by his Gospel.

11 y Meaning, that he was astonied, when he sawe these Emperours in suche dignitie, & pride, & so suddenly destroyed at the comming fo Christ when this fourth monarchie was subject to men of other nacions.

12 z As the thre former monarchies had an end at the time that God appointed, althogh thei flourished for a time, so shal this fourth haue & they that paciently abide Gods appointement shal injoye the promises.

13 b To wit, when he ascended into the heauens, and his diuine majestie appeared, and all power was giuen vnto him in respect of that that he was our Mediator.

13 a Which is ment of Christ who had not yet taken vpon him nams nature, nether was the sonne of Dauid according to the flesh, as he was afterwarde: but appeared then in a figure, and that in the cloudes: that is, being separate from the comune sorte of men by manifeste signes of his diuinitie.

14 c This is ment of the beginning of Christs kingdome when God the Father gaue vnto himall dominion, as to the Mediator, to the intent that he shulde gouerne here his Church in earth continually til the time that he broght them to eternal life.

18 g That is, of the moste hie things, because God hathe chosen them out of this worlde, that they shulde loke vp to the heauens, whereon all their hopes dependeth.

18 f Because Abraham was appointed heire of all the worlde {Ro. 4, 13} & in him all the faithful, therefore the kingdome thereof is theirs by right, which these foure beastes or tyrants shulde inuade, and vsurpe vntil the worlde were restored by Christ: and this was to confirme them that were in troubles, that their afflictions shulde haue an end at length.

19 h For the other monarchies were gouerned by a King, and the Romain empire by Consuls: the Romains changed their gouernours yerely, & the other monarchies reteined them for terme of life: also the Romains were the strongest of all the other, and were neuer quiet among them selues.

19 i Read {ver. 7}.

20 k This is ment of the fourthe beast, which was more terrbiel then the other.

21 l Meaning the Romaine Emperours who were moste cruel against the Church of God bothe of the Jewes and of the Gentiles.

22 m Til God shewed his power in the persone of Christ and by the preaching of the Gospel gaue vnto his some rest & so obteined a famous name to the worlde, and were called the Church of God, or the kingdome of God.

25 o That is, shal make wicked decrees & proclamations against Gods worde and sende through out all their dominion to destroy all that did professe it.

25 p These Emperours shal not consider that thei haue their power of God but thinke it is in their owne power to change God lawes and mans, and as it were the order of nature, as appeareth by Octauius, Tyberius Caligula, Nero, Domitianus &c.

25 q God shal suffre them thus to rage against his Saints for a long time, which is ment by the time and times but at length he wil aswage these troubles and shorten the times for his elects sake, {Mat. 24, 22} which is here ment by the diuiding of time.

26 r God by his power shal restore things that were out of order, and so destroie this litle horne, that it shal neuer rise vp againe.

27 s He sheweth wherefore the beast shulde be destroied, to wit, that his Church might haue rest and quietnes, which thogh thei do not fully injoye here, yet thei haue it in hope and by these wordes vnder the heauen [emphasis in the original]: & therefore he here speaketh of the beginning participation that thei haue with Christ their head.

27 t That is, some of euerie sorte that bear rule.

28 u Thogh he had manie motions in his heart which moued him to and fro to seke out this matter curiously: yet he was content with that which God reueiled, and kept it in memorie and wrote it for the vse of the Church.