Daniel 7

Daniel 7:15-28

Vernon McGee - The identity of “the saints” is the important factor of this statement. There are five verses in this chapter which mention them (see also Da 7:21, 22, 25, 27). Reference to them occurs again in Daniel 8:24. Immediately one school of prophetic interpretation assumes they are New Testament saints… My friend, God has a pretty big family. In the Old Testament He had Old Testament saints. The nation Israel were called saints; the Gentiles who came in as proselytes were called saints of God. That’s a different company from New Testament saints today who are in the church. A C Gaebelein - There are other Saints besides "Church Saints." The Saints of whom Daniel was thinking were his own beloved people (Jewish believers). To that people is promised a kingdom in the days of the Messiah. With Him the Lord in Glory, there is a heavenly people, so as Messiah and the Son of Man in connection with the earth He has an earthly people, Saints which will receive and possess with Him that kingdom which will fill the whole earth. These Saints are the God-fearing Jews, who pass through the great tribulation and inherit the blessings and promises which God gave through their own prophets. (The Prophet Daniel: A Key to the Visions and Prophecies of the Book of Daniel) Dr Donald Campbell - The saints, the saved of all ages, will enter and enjoy to the full the time of Christ's reign. Their position is to be the opposite of what would be characteristic of the previous kingdoms, for then evil would dominate and evil men reign. (Daniel: God's Man in a Secular Society) (Bolding and color added) Dr John Walvoord has a somewhat confusing comment on saints noting that "there has been considerable discussion as to the reference of “the saints,” it would seem to include the saved of all ages as well as the holy angels which may be described as “the holy ones". (Note: While I would not disagree with the first part of his explanation, I am not sure that Scripture substantiates that angels will "possess the kingdom" in the same manner as those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. To be sure, the angels will be in the fifth, everlasting kingdom but as Heb 1:14-note asks speaking of the angels "are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?") (Bolding and color added) The kingdom - This is the "fifth", final, divine kingdom that follows the 4 finite, ephemeral, beastly Gentile kingdoms. The fifth kingdom represents the Kingdom which the Son of Man received from the Ancient of Days (Da 7:14-note). Gleason Archer - The reason for emphasizing the participation of God's people in the final kingdom seems to be that it is a literal, earthly kingdom, replacing the previous empires of men, rather than a spiritual domain, a sort of ideal kingdom of God consisting only of the Lord Himself. (Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary) Dr Campbell references an interesting anecdotal story… In 1776, American preachers, politicians, and many ordinary citizens interpreted this chapter as applying to America, particularly the promise that the "saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom" (Da 7:27). Evidence seems clear that our forefathers saw themselves as a nation with a millennial destiny. In 1771, Timothy Dwight, for instance, wrote a hymn, "America," which expresses this fond ideal: Hail Land of Light and Joy! Thy power shall grow Far as the seas, which round thy regions flow; Through earth's wide realms thy glory shall extend, And savage nations at thy scepter bend. But America has not and will not launch God's kingdom of justice and plenty. For that, we await the climactic and glorious return of Jesus Christ. (Daniel: God's Man in a Secular Society) Daniel 7:19 "Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet fourth: Da 7:7 2:40, 41, 42, 43 Daniel 7 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries DANIEL SPEAKS (Da 7:19, 20, 21, 22) Then I desired to know (Daniel speaks from Da 7:19-22) - Daniel qualifies his question. Desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast - The first 3 beastly kingdoms were of less interest to Daniel. Claws of bronze - This is a new detail added to those reiterated from Da 7:7. Daniel 7:20 and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance than its associates. Appearance: Da 11:36,37 Daniel 7 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Ten horns that were on its head - We have seen the ten horns before, but now he specifies they are on his head. Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (I do not agree with this interpretation but present it as an example of the mental gymnastics which one must invoke if they reject a literal, futuristic interpretation of the 10 king stage of Rome. Note that in this example, they are forced to invoke a sequence of kingdoms and do not describe 10 kingdoms which are contemporaneous which the text in Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 strongly favors.) The ten kingdoms into which the western Roman empire was divided; which were primarily, according to Machiavel and Bp. Lloyd, 1. The Huns in Hungary, A.D. 356. 2. The Ostrogoths in Moesia, 377. 3. The Visigoths in Pannonia, 378. 4. The Sueves and Alans in Gascoigne and Spain, 407. 5. The Vandals in Africa, 407. 6. The Franks in France, 407. 7. The Burgundians in Burgundy, 407. 8. The Heruli and Turingi in Italy, 476. 9. The Saxons and Angles in Britain, 476. 10. The Lombards, first upon the Danube, 526, and afterwards in Italy. Though the ten kingdoms differed from these in later periods, and were sometimes more or less, (Ed note: 10 is 10 not more, not less. Yes, Daniel says 3 of the 10 are subdued but they are still 10 and even at this stage there must be a ruler who "rises to the top" so to speak, a fact that is not fulfilled in history, no matter how clever the mental gymnastics!) yet they were still known by that name. THE LITTLE HORN THE ANTI-CHRIST The other horn - The Little Horn (LH) of Da 7:8-note. Most commentators who interpret these passages literally and from a futuristic viewpoint (and accept the principle of predictive prophecy), interpret the LH as the Anti-Christ (1Jn 2:18-note). The prefix "anti-" has 2 meanings, both of which are fulfilled by the coming Anti-Christ - (1) Instead of and (2) Against. So if you are an Orthodox Jew, you are looking for the Messiah (thinking that this will be his first coming), and on the world scene comes a man who comes "instead of" the true Christ (Messiah) and "against" the true Christ. And since he performs signs and wonders (Jn 7:31, 2Thes 2:8, 9, 10, 11, 12), many will be deceived thinking he is the true Christ. And when he recovers from a fatal wound, they will be fully convinced he is the Christ (see Rev 13:3-note, Rev 13:4-note, Rev 13:8-note). Which was larger in appearance than its associates - The one who started out as a "little" horn has grown in stature, power and prestige. Many of the uses of the Aramaic word rab translated "larger" in this passage speak of one who in a position of authority or power over others. This word is used to describe the Stone which became a great mountain (Da 2:35) which filled the whole earth. Larger (Aramaic = rab) - 21 verses - Ezra 4:10; 5:8, 11; Da 2:10, 14, 31, 35, 45, 48; 4:3, 9, 30; 5:1, 11; 7:2, 3, 7, 8, 11, 17, 20, rendered in NAS as boastful(1), captain(1), chief(3), great(15), large(2), larger(1). John Ankerberg (et al) writes "At some point after the rapture (ED: CLEARLY HE IS REFERRING TO A PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE), the Scriptures indicate that there will be a revived Roman Empire, formed of a ten-unit division with ten equal rulers ruling over it. After that empire has been here for an undisclosed period of time, an eleventh ruler will rise to power from within it. That eleventh ruler, according to the Scriptures, is the Antichrist. As he rises to power, he will overthrow three of the original ten rulers of that revived Roman Empire and thereby gain controlling authority over that empire. COMMENT - This is a helpful comment because it suggests that the Revived Roman Empire takes some time to develop but that it will be functioning at the end of this age. At that time the Little Horn or Antichrist will come up from this group and then take power. Daniel 7:21 "I KEPT LOOKING AND THAT HORN WAS WAGING WAR WITH THE SAINTS AND OVERPOWERING THEM A different rather small horn in Da 8:9-12,24, Da 11:31 12:7 Rev 11:7, 8, 9, Rev 12:3,4, Rev 13:5-7, 8-18, 17:6,14 19:19 Daniel 7 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries The horn was waging war with the saints - The little horn that had increased in stature ("larger", Da 7:20). It is worth noting that although there are numerous passages describing this evil personage, the New Testament does not emphasize the initial phase of the career of the final Antichrist. In Revelation, after the world has witnessed the healing of the Anti-Christ's fatal wound, they will ask "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?" (Rev 13:3-note) John goes on to record that… It was also given (Note: God is sovereign and any power the Anti-Christ has even if it from the Dragon [Rev 13:2-note], is ultimately from God and is permitted by God so that His purposes might be accomplished) to him to make war with the saints and to overcome (subdue, conquer, get the victory over) them, and authority (exousia [word study] = the right and the might) over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. (Rev 13:7-note) Daniel 7:22 UNTIL THE ANCIENT OF DAYS CAME AND JUDGMENT WAS PASSED IN FAVOR OF THE SAINTS OF THE HIGHEST ONE AND THE TIME ARRIVED WHEN THE SAINTS TOOK POSSESSION OF THE KINGDOM Ancient: Da 7:9, 10, 11 2Th 2:8 Rev 11:11-18 14:8-20 19:11-21 20:9-15 Judgment: Da 7:18 Isa 63:4 Mt 19:28 Lk 22:29,30 1Co 6:2,3 Rev 1:6 3:21 5:10 Rev 20:4 Daniel 7 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Daniel 7:10-11 A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, And the books were opened (JUDGMENT). 11 “Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; (THE "DEFENDANT" FOUND GUILTY) I kept looking until the beast (LITTLE HORN) was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. Revelation 19:19-20+ And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 And the beast (LITTLE HORN) was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. THE JUDGMENT IN FAVOR OF THE SAINTS Until - This very important "time phrase" until (see expressions of time) marks the end of the reign of the beastly kingdoms, the times of the Gentiles (Lk 21:24, distinguish from the phrase "fullness of the Gentiles" - Ro 11:25-note) and the beginning of the reign of the Righteous Branch (see Jer 23:5 = He will reign as King, Jer 33:15, 16 In those days = Second Coming), the King of kings (Rev 17:14-note, Rev 19:11-note, Rev 19:12-note, Rev 19:13-note, Rev 19:14-note, Rev 19:15-note, Rev 19:16-note), the Lord Jesus Christ. Note that these passages would suggest that the anti-Christ exerts his nefarious influence on the world in general and the saints in particular in the three and one-half years immediately preceding the Lord's return. Judgment (Da 7:10, Da 7:26) - Judgment is meted out against the horn (Da 7:21) terminating his 3.5 year (time, times and half a time - Da 7:25) reign of terror and bloodshed against the Jews and all who support them (the Great Tribulation - Mt 24:21-note, the time of Jacob's distress - Jer 30:7-note), which would support the premise that in this context the Ancient of Days is God the Son, Who in Da 7:13 was referred to as the Son of Man. We know from other passages that it is the return of God the Son Who brings about the defeat of the Antichrist (2Th 2:8, 9, 10). In Daniel 7:9 the Ancient of Days is obviously God the Father. That Jesus is known by the Father's name should not come as a major surprise given the co-equality inherent in the doctrine of the Trinity. In fact, instances such as this help one understand when Isaiah 9:6 refers to God the Son as Eternal Father! The saints took possession of the kingdom (Da 7:18, Da 7:27) - Amazing grace! Not only does God save sinners but He bestows a kingdom. Hallelujah! (cf Rev 1:6KJV-note, Rev 2:26-note, Rev 5:10KJV-note [notice where they are to reign!], Rev 20:4, 5, 6-note) The kingdom - Reference to the Messianic Kingdom in which Messiah will rule and reign from Jerusalem (see Millennium 1 - Millennium 2 - Millennium 3) for in Jeremiah, Jehovah promises… "Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch and He will reign as King (cf Rev 3:21-note) and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land (Note: "The land" = the land of Israel. He does not say the "New heaven" or "New earth". Messiah's reign will be on this present earth contrary to what is taught by amillennialists. Such an interpretative approach encounters considerable difficulty with passages such as these which clearly describe the land of Israel!). In His (Messiah's) days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely (Note: There would be no need for this statement if this were referring to the New Earth); and this is His name by which He will be called, 'The LORD our righteousness.' (Jehovah Tsidkenu) 7 "Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when they will no longer say, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,' 8 but, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.' Then (When? When Messiah returns as King of kings to rule and reign in His Kingdom) they (Israel) will live on their own soil" (Beloved, the amillennial approach to a passage such as this does not yield a reasonable, logical, literal interpretation. One would be forced to spiritualize this passage which when read normally can and should be taken literally.)." (Jeremiah 23:5, 6, 7, 8) Daniel 7:23 "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. fourth: Da 7:7, Da 2:40 Lk 2:1 Daniel 7 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Thus he said - The interpreter, presumably an angel (Da 7:16-note), addresses Daniel's question about the fourth beast and specifically the Little Horn. Fourth beast - The "DT" (dreadful and terrifying) Beast (Da 7:7-note) Will be a fourth kingdom on the earth - This is the first time in Daniel 7 that the fourth beast is specifically identified as the fourth kingdom (cp the corresponding identification in Da 2:40-note). The fact that the fourth kingdom is on the earth lends support to the interpretation that the fifth and final kingdom ruled by the Son of Man will be a literal earthly kingdom which has its inception when the Son of Man returns as the Stone (Da 2:34-note) to crush the fourth kingdom and then fill the whole earth (Da 2:35-note = Observe that in Da 2:35b the great mountain… that … filled the whole earth is specifically identified in Da 2:44-note as "a kingdom" [the "fifth" kingdom, the Messianic kingdom ruled by the Son of Man]) The whole earth - This same phrase whole earth is used in Da 4:11 referring to Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom and in Da 8:5 referring to Alexander's kingdom. The point is that this phrase used here of the Roman Empire could have two meanings, one (like Babylon and Greece) being that the Roman Empire exerted power over the known world of that day. This was historically fulfilled. There is a second way to understand whole earth and that is as a description of the entire globe, all the nations and peoples of the world. While ancient Rome clearly did not literally rule the whole earth, other Scriptures substantiate that out of the so-called "Revived Roman Empire" will come the final ruler of the final Gentile kingdom (the Little Horn, the Anti-Christ) and he will exert his demonically bestowed supernatural power (Rev 13:2-note) over the whole world (eg, Rev 13:8-note, Rev 13:12-note, see notes on the related phrase Earth Dwellers). The following "Fifth Kingdom", the Kingdom of Christ (Da 2:44-note), as stated above will fill the whole earth (Da 2:35-note). In summary, whole earth in this context could have the first or the second meaning, but the latter meaning is more compatible with the truth revealed in the following verse. Daniel 7:24 'As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. ten: Da 7:20 Rev 12:3 Rev 13:1 Rev 17:3,12,13,16, 17, 18 another: Da 7:8,20 8:9-2 Da 11:36 2Th 2:3-10 1Ti 4:1-3 Related Passages: Revelation 13:1+ And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. Revelation 17:12+ “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. THE FOURTH KINGDOM "THE TEN KING STAGE" Young's Literal Translation… And the ten horns out of the kingdom are ten kings, they rise, and another doth rise after them, and it is diverse from the former, and three kings it humbleth (Da 7:24YLT) Out of this kingdom - Which kingdom? This is the fourth kingdom (Da 7:23), which is historically identifiable as Rome for that empire conquered all 4 heads of the winged leopard, the four divisions of Alexander's Grecian empire. But out of this Roman Empire will arise 10 horns or 10 kings, which from other passages (see Da 7:7, 8) we can identify as 10 kings reigning at the same time, not 10 kings in succession or sequence. This fact forces the honest interrogator to try to identify a historical fulfillment of the "Ten King Stage" of the Roman Empire, which should be easy if such an unusual divided empire existed in world history. But try as one might (and many liberal commentators have tried with all manner of futile speculation), one cannot identify a historical Ten King Stage of Rome. Then how can one explain the Ten King Stage of Rome? Ultimately one is forced to accept the truth that the Ten King Stage has not yet come into existence on the world stage, and therefore by "default" must be describing a future event. What does such an explanation require? In a word, faith! Hebrews 11:1 (note) type faith! One must believe that God has told us the truth about the preceding 3 beastly Gentile kingdoms (i.e., He is a trustworthy God) and that as the sovereign, omniscient, omnipotent God, He is able to predict the future and bring about fulfillment of such a prediction (cp Isa 42:9 44:7 46:9,10 45:21). One example of a "futile attempt" to explain the Ten King Stage is found in the ESV Study Bible (which overall is an excellent study Bible, but as with all commentaries one must be a Berean - Acts 17:11+): The 10 horns could emphasize the extreme power of this empire (five times the normal number of two horns), or more likely it signifies 10 rulers or kingdoms (cf. Da 7:24) from Julius Caesar to Domitian there are actually 12 Caesars; but two reigned for only a few months). (ESV Study Bible) Comment on the ESV Comment (!): If one refuses to accept by faith that God can predict a Ten King Stage and has the power to bring about a Ten King Stage, the attempts to explain this specific phrase (and phase) can become very distorted and even somewhat bizarre! Not only is the preceding comment attempting to say that 12 is really 10 but it completely ignores the fact that the 10 cannot be a succession of rulers but must be in power at the same time in the form of a divided kingdom, a loose confederacy. In fairness to the ESV Study Bible it should be noted that the notes have a mixture of historical, allegorical and literal/futuristic interpretations, so some of the eschatological comments are, as the Brits would say, "spot on." However the variation in interpretations might lead to some confusion if one is not a relatively mature Bible student. This also underscores the importance of each saint first observing the Scripture under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, so that they have a foundation that allows them to comment on the commentaries! A Thd or MDiv behind a commentator's name does not assure that the comments will be literal and conservative, a fact that is especially true in eschatological writings like Daniel and Revelation. Ten horns… ten kings - Similar to the "Toe" Stage in Da 2:41, 42, 43, 44+ (the days of those kings = the days of "The Ten King Stage" as described in this verse). This description would be compatible with the "divided kingdom" of Da 2:41+. Donald Campbell - The ten horns symbolize ten rulers that will arise out of the region once controlled by Rome. The kings will all rule at the same time, a phenomenon not to be found in the past. It is to be expected, therefore, that the Roman Empire in this form will reappear and that the ten rulers will be in power in the end times. (See Rev. 13:1+; Rev 17:12+.) (Daniel: God's Man in a Secular Society) (bolding added) John Walvoord comments that "The endless explanation of critical scholars attempting to find these ten kings in the history of the Grecian Empire or to find them later in Rome, by their very disagreement among themselves demonstrate the impossibility of satisfactorily explaining this verse as past history. If the ten kings are in power at the end of the age, which also seems to be supported by the ten kings of Revelation 13:1+; Rev 17:12+, it follows that they must be still future. The fact that they appear in the book of Revelation, written long after the fall of the Grecian Empire, plainly relates them to the Roman Empire in its final stage. (Daniel 7 - Daniel's Vision Of Future World History) Click example of a "non-literal" interpretation of "10" horns. Another will arise after them - Another refers to the Little Horn who arises out of the ten king stage of the fourth kingdom. Earlier we learned that the Little Horn would arise among (Da 7:8) the 10 and now we learn he arises after the 10. The implication is that the 10 come first and will be an identifiable entity. After that the Little Horn comes up among these 10 kings who compose a loose confederacy, the fourth kingdom. John Walvoord comments on the attempts to identify the Little Horn as a historical figure writing that "Critics relate this to Antiochus Epiphanes. While Antiochus may foreshadow the activities of the little horn of Daniel 7, the complete fulfillment will be much more severe and extensive." (Daniel 7 - Daniel's Vision Of Future World History) He… will subdue 3 kings - Notice he is not given the title of "king" in this verse. This is the third time (Da 7:8, 20, 24) we learn of the Little Horn in some way exerting dominance over three of the other kings. This fact helps understand that they all existed at the same time. Gleason Archer has an interesting comment (albeit somewhat speculative) on the fact that the "Little Horn" will subdue 3 kings writing that… He will then subject the other seven states to vassalage, somewhat as Hitler subjected Norway, Holland, Hungary, and the Balkan countries to a leader of their local Nazi party. In theory they were separate nations, but in practice they were subservient to Hitler. There is apparently to be a strong personality cult attached to this empire of the little horn (cf. the quasi-deification of Hitler). (See The Expositor's Bible Commentary - Abridged Edition) Treasury of Scripture Knowledge comments on another (I do not agree with this fanciful interpretation but present it as another example of the confusion that can result when one wanders away from away from the "safety net" of literal interpretation) - This evidently points out the papal supremacy, in every respect diverse from the former, which from small beginnings thrust itself up among the ten kingdoms, till at length it successively eradicated three of them, the kingdom of Heruli, of the Ostrogoths, and of the Lombards. Ray