The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it. – Daniel 7:4

Today's Scripture Reading (August 9, 2020): Daniel 7

George R. R. Martin, in "A Game of Thrones," argues that "A lion doesn't concern itself with the opinion of sheep." A lion rules over its environment, and it makes the rules. It is an apex predator, existing alone at the top of the food chain. And when the movies anthropomorphize the animals, all the members of the animal kingdom bow down to the will of the lion.

And maybe that is why the kings and queens of the human kingdoms have often envisioned themselves as the ruling lions. And sometimes they have taken that analogy a little too far, believing that they knew better than their advisors, or the other people of the kingdom. They were too important to concern themselves with the opinions of the "sheep."

Daniel sees a vision of four animals. This vision is likely an extension of the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had in the second chapter of Daniel. And the first animal that Daniel sees is a lion. Except, this lion had wings like an eagle. It is important to note that while the lion is an apex predator on the land, the eagle is an apex predator in the air. Both animals clearly reign over their separate domains. So, this majestic beast is one who would rule over all of the earth.

But the lion-eagle does not stay as a beast. As Daniel watches this majestic animal, it is transformed into something different. Its wings are plucked off, and its front paws lift off of the ground so that the animal now mimics another apex predator, maybe the apexiest (I know that is not a word) of them all – a human. To go with the beast's new stature, this king of the land and of the sky is given the mind and the cleverness of a human being.

If this vision is connected with the earlier dream of Nebuchadnezzar, then there can be no doubt who it is that is standing before Daniel in his personal revelation. The lion who was an eagle, which stands with the mind of a human represented Babylon, and maybe their greatest King, Nebuchadnezzar. It is not an image of the later Neo-Babylonian rulers who could barely rule over themselves; it was the version of Babylon that had conquered a significant portion of the known world and had struck fear into the citizens of the earth. It was an image of the Babylon, which was an apex predator in its own rite. The lion who did not chase after the opinion of the sheep.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 8