Page 15 - 04 A New Vision - The Heavenly Sanctuary

DANIEL AND THE REVELATION-Uriah Smith

~The Response of History to the Revelation~

Chapter 4 – A New Vision: The Heavenly Sanctuary
the place where the overcomers, in the

ecstatic joy of final victory, will soon stand.

The Four Beasts. — It is a very unhappy

translation which has given us the word

beasts in this verse. The Greek word ζῷον

denotes properly a living creature. Bloomfield

says, “‘Four living creatures’ (not beasts). So

Heinr. renders it. ... The propriety of this

correction is now, I believe, generally agreed

upon by commentators. The word is very

different from θηρίον, used to designate the

prophetic beasts in the 13th and following

chapters. (Scholefield.) It may be added that

Bulkeley adduces several examples of to

denote, not only creature, but even a human

being, especially one from Origen, who uses it

of our Lord Jesus.”