Daniel 7:22-28

Daniel 7:22

Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

 

God will put an end to the persecution of His people and then comes the final judgment where the saints of this world will have a hand in judging the world.  1 Corinthians 6:2 (KJV)   Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?   Then once the judgment of the kingdom of Satan is complete, then the Lord will create the new heavens and the new earth where the believers will live forever.

 

Daniel 7:23

Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

 

Here Daniel is given the explanation of the fourth kingdom which is now greatly expanded upon as the fourth kingdom which will permeate the entire earth.  The reason it is diverse from the other kingdoms is because it is not a localized kingdom anymore.  Babylon, Medes and Persians, Greece, and even earthly Rome was subjected to borders but this fourth kingdom description is describing the kingdom of Satan which has universal dominion at present.  It has devoured the whole earth by means of conquest in the Garden of Eden.  There is no country on earth which has not been affected by the kingdom of Satan whether it be a government which opposes Christianity like Saudi Arabia or it is permeated with false religions like India.  The treading down and breaking in pieces has to do with the cruelty the local governments show toward people and also the vitriol the indigenous religious leaders have toward any truth of the Gospel coming in.  The breaking in pieces may also have to do with the fragmenting of nations with different religions such as Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia as all taken in by Islam.  Then you have the South American countries and the Central American countries all taken in by Roman Catholicism.  Then you have India taken in by Hinduism.  Many countries are identified by the religions that permeate them and that is why the world is in pieces.

 

Daniel 7:24

And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

 

Here we see that the ten horns will come out of this particular kingdom and they are represented by ten kings.  Ten is the number of totality or completeness in the Bible.  So the ten horns teach us as we saw in the previous verse that these ten kings or the completeness of this kingdom will envelope the whole earth.  Now some believe it was strictly the Roman Empire as Daniel saw it covering the whole earth from his vantage point but with the biblical information that we have, it is definitely the kingdom of Satan which at this time enfolds the complete earth.  We read that this kingdom will be diverse. The word “diverse” in the Aramaic carries with it the meaning of “to be changed or altered.”  What makes this kingdom different than the others will be the fact that it is a spiritual kingdom which is behind all the evil on this earth.  The four kingdoms which Daniel saw only took part of the earth as their home but this kingdom is over the entire earth and only the kingdom of Satan fits that description.  There is also much internal strife as we see this little horn displace three kings.  Now it is not saying the first three kings but three kings which are not specifically named.

 

Revelation 17:12 (KJV)   And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

 

In Revelation 17:12 we read that these ten kings have no particular kingdom yet they are given power to rule for one hour.  Now this is not speaking specifically of one hour but is symbolic of the whole New Testament period. 

 

1 John 2:18 (KJV)   Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

 

The word ”time” used in this verse in both instances is the Greek word “hora” which may also be understood as an hour but this is not referring to only one hour but it teaches us that there will be war between the Saints of God and the kingdom of Satan during the entire New Testament period.  John made this statement back in the late first century and he describes that time as the last hour.

 

Daniel 7:25

And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

 

Isaiah 14:13-14 (KJV)   For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:  {14} I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

 

In Isaiah 14:13-14, the Bible records the 5 fold desire of Satan to be like the most High where he desires to exalt himself in the place of God.  Then you have in the Garden of Eden, Satan coming to Eve and refuting everything God told her.  The great words which Satan speaks against the most High is not just one time but it will be a continuous action as he speaks against God through his unsaved mouthpieces on earth. 

 

Then we are told that he will wear out the Saints.  He will do this by means of afflicting them physically and also bringing in false gospels and teachings so the Saints will have to continually be fighting against the heresies coming into the body of Christ.

 

Then we are told he will change times and laws.  The law of God is the entire Bible and Satan will do what he can to change these laws such as in the ten commandments we read “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”  He will change adultery to affair, love, soulmate, compatibility, etc.  He will turn the straight laws of God, by means of reinterpretation and reassignment of words.  Jesus stated that if we marry a divorced person, then we are committing adultery.  Probably 99% of all churches will marry divorced people based upon some psychological principles but ignoring the biblical command of not marrying a divorced person.

 

Then he will change not only laws but times.  One of Satan’s greatest deceptions is pre-millenialism where the final judgment of God is pushed out 1,007 years from when the mythical great tribulation is supposed to start.  Before 1830, there was no such thing as a pre-trib rapture but it was trance channeled through a woman named Margaret MacDonald in 1830 at the Port Glasgow, Scotland prophecy conferences.  Trance channeling is satanic and it is done today in the New Age movement.  The Bible speaks plainly that there is going to come one day when the righteous and the unsaved will be raised simultaneously but the pre-trib myth, teaches that these resurrections are 1000 years apart.  Satan changed the times and now people believe they can get saved even after the “rapture” occurs.

 

John 5:28-29 (KJV)   Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, {29} And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

 

Notice in John 5:28-29 we see the description of the general resurrection.  So tell me, how do you fit 1000 years distance into this verse when it plainly describes a general resurrection on one day?

 

Then we are told that Satan will have this authority until time, times and the dividing of time which is a representation of 42 months which is symbolic of the entire New Testament period. 

 

Revelation 13:5 (KJV)   And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

 

Revelation 13:5 relates back to Revelation 13:1 where the beast comes out of the sea having ten horns like we see in Daniel and he was given 42 months, or the entire New Testament period to speak great things.  Daniel says he was saying great words which is the same thing.  He will be allowed to continue harassing the Saints and wearing them out for the entire New Testament period until the Lord Jesus Christ returns on the last day and destroys him.

 

Daniel 7:26

But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

 

When the Ancient of Days sits in His Judgment throne, He shall take away the dominion of Satan and he will then be thrown into the lake of fire forever.  His kingdom and all his followers will also come into judgment on the last day and they will be tried and found guilty and his kingdom will face the final destruction when it is cast into the lake of fire and the earth will be burned up and made anew with righteousness dwelling in it.  Another way this kingdom will be diverse from the others is the way it will end.  The Roman Empire was destroyed in pieces with it being attacked from different areas until it was finally destroyed but the kingdom of Satan will be destroyed abruptly, in one day, in its totality.

 

Daniel 7:27

And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

 

Once the kingdom of Satan has been completely destroyed, then God is going to burn up the heavens and the earth and then will be remade in righteousness.  2 Peter 3:7 (KJV)   But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.  Then only the Saints of God will be on the earth ruling as kings and priests.  The Kingdom of God will never come to an end because it is an everlasting kingdom in contrast to those earthly kingdoms which took up part of the earth and were temporary.  The kingdom of God in the New Heavens and the New Earth will be an everlasting kingdom where the true believers will serve God and obey Him in righteousness.  2 Peter 3:13 (KJV)   Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 

 

Daniel 7:28

Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.

 

This vision had now come to an end but because of the intensity of what Daniel saw, especially the fierceness and destruction of the kingdom of Satan, his cogitations, that is, his thoughts and contemplations had greatly troubled him.  In fact, the word for troubled in the Aramaic carries with it the meaning of “terrify.”  His vision was so intense that it actually terrified him.  This resulted in the fact that his face changed from cheerfulness to possibly somberness but at this time Daniel kept the visions and its contents to himself as it was not the time yet for revealing it.

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