Daniel 7:8-14

Daniel 7:8

I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

 

Daniel now contemplates the horns and as we saw the horn in Scripture speaks of power and authority.  As Daniel was considering the ten horns, the focus is not necessarily upon identifying each particular worldly kingdom but the focus is on the fact that these earthly kingdoms dovetail each other.  As one goes out of existence, another one arises either by conquest of the lesser kingdoms or the power is developed from within and the kingdom continues to grow.  Here Daniel speaks of the little horn which arose in power and displaced three horns, which could have been three smaller kingdoms which were taken out of existence since they were plucked up by the roots, which means they will die without sustenance coming through the roots.  These three horns are possibly Babylon, Medes-Persians, and Greece.

 

Daniel had outlined four great kingdoms and ending up in the Roman Empire where Christianity had its evangelistic beginning.  Once Christ was crucified under Rome and was resurrected, forty days later the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples and the evangelism of the world had begun.  In the book of Revelation we see a parallel to the events we see in verse 8. 

 

Revelation 13:1 (KJV)   And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

 

The book of Revelation must be looked at in its proper milieu.  It is not a book written about future individual prophetic events of the modern nation of Israel as Pre-Millenial adherents believe. The heart of the book of Revelation deals with the church and its persecution by the kingdom of Satan.  There are three major parallel visions defining the book of Revelation.  Just as we saw in the book of Daniel concerning the four major evil kingdoms, Revelation also deals with kingdoms.  The Kingdom of God versus the kingdom of Satan which will be utterly destroyed on the last day.  The reason that the beasts exist is to teach us that Christians will be under persecution from various earthly kingdoms but all motivated by the kingdom of Satan.  Revelation 13:1 speaks of the ten horns as Daniel spoke of the ten horns.  It represents the power of existing kingdoms.  In ancient times the kingdom of God on earth, which were the believers, were persecuted by existing earthly kingdoms.  In those days, you had Babylon, Greece, Medes-Persians, and of course the big one, Rome.  Today we have kingdoms which persecute Christians, in fact, there were earthly kingdoms which persecuted the Christians right down to the present and they would all be qualified as beasts.  During the middle ages you had many governments in league with the Roman Catholic Church that persecuted Christians by the millions.  Let’s bring it up to the present.  From 1917 to 1990 you had persecution through the Soviet Union and its satellite countries in Eastern Europe.  Then in 1948 you had Red China which still persecutes Christians.  At present you have North Korea, Viet Nam, India, and all the countries in the Middle East where Islam is predominant.  They would all be considered beasts with the eyes of man and a mouth speaking great blasphemies and great things.

 

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 states that the beasts that we saw in Daniel would have future fulfillments in different world kingdoms as they dovetail each other, one comes into existence and another goes out of existence.  The forty two months is symbolic of the whole New Testament period. The book of Revelation outlines the struggles the true eternal church will have from the first coming of Christ to His return on the last day.

 

Daniel 7:9

I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

 

Revelation 1:14 (KJV)   His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

 

We must look at apocalyptic Scripture as not focusing on the earthly kingdoms or the persecutions but the fact that it teaches that there will be an end and the evil that the earthly kingdoms had done to the Christian will eventually come into judgment on the last day.  Here Daniel projects us into the future when the earthly kingdoms will have been thrown down and the person in view is God the Father sitting upon His throne.  John, in Revelation, gives us a similar view of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The fact that the description contains the color white is telling us of the purity and absolute sinlessness of the person in view which is God the Father.  The fact that His throne was like a fiery flame was because at this time He is sitting in judgment.  We also read that His wheels are as burning fire.  In ancient times, what was one of the most formidable weapons of war?  It was the chariot, because it could carry a number of soldiers to the battle in a very short period of time.  The axles could also be rigged with sharp swords or knives which could be driven through the enemy and cut them down before they had a chance to respond.  In our verse, we read about the Lord’s wheels being burning fire which represents the fact that His judgment will be swift and final upon all these kingdoms who so loudly boast against the Kingdom of God and who persecute the Christians living in those kingdoms.

 

Daniel 7:10

A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

 

Revelation 5:11 (KJV)   And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

 

Revelation 20:12 (KJV)   And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

 

Here we now have a picture of Judgment day when all the nations shall be brought before the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Matthew 25:31-32 (KJV)   When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:  {32} And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

 

Daniel’s dream now projects us into Judgment Day.  The time for all the nations and kingdoms of the world are to be judged.  The fiery stream which emanates from the throne represents the final judgment on all those nations who persecuted the Lord’s people.  The scene is replete with the ministering angels in the myriads which ministered unto the Lord and also we see the multitudes of those who are standing before the Throne of Christ ready to be judged.  The books were opened, which is symbolic of everything that was said or done against the Most High will have been recorded and will be brought into the trial of each individual.  Those who do not have Christ as their Savior will be judged by their works.  If they have done evil against the children of God, they will be brought into account for it.  This means the Roman Emperors, the Roman Catholic Popes, the heads of Communist nations, and all heads of state that persecuted the church will be made to face their actions.

 

Daniel 7:11

I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.

 

Here we have a picture of the fourth kingdom or beast being judged which is the empire of Rome.  Daniel had listened in the court as he heard the great words which were spoken by the horn which displaced the other three kingdoms.  Here we have an end to the empire of Rome as it was slain by the Lord Jesus Christ, the body was destroyed totally in the burning flame, in other words, it was burned up and was never to rise again or make any trouble for the people of God.  The Roman Empire is shown being judged even before the first three were judged.  It may be because it was responsible for the crucifixion of Christ and how Pilate acquiesced to the evil religious leaders of Israel to put to death the Lord Jesus Christ.  This is why it is important to realize that those who teach about the revival of the Roman Empire through the European Common Market or European Union are traveling down an erroneous path.  The Roman Empire was relegated to the flames which means it will never come into existence again, in any form.

 

Daniel 7:12

As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

 

The other three beasts had their dominion taken away and were doomed to destruction but they were allowed to fulfill the time God gave them on the earth.  Greece, the Medes-Persians and Babylon all were allowed to exist until God’s timing was fulfilled by each one.  As we saw in this chapter, we must be very careful when looking at apocalyptic literature because it is not necessarily in chronological order.  We could be looking at something contemporary and then next a thousand years in the future.

 

Daniel 7:13

I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

 

Then Daniel continues in his night vision by seeing the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of man, come into the presence of God the Father.  The clouds of Heaven must be the ministering angels since they brought the Lord Jesus into the presence of God the Father.  This scene might be the one following the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ when He commended His spirit into the hands of His Father.  His body went into the tomb and His spirit went to be with the Father.  Luke 23:46 (KJV)   And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. 

 

Daniel 7:14

And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

 

Matthew 28:18 (KJV)   And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

 

Now we see the great transfer of power.  The earthly kingdoms which were defined by the term beast, have now had all their power taken from them, as we saw by means of their final judgment and now in contrast to the alternating kingdoms, where one comes into existence and the other goes out of existence, the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ will be one continuous kingdom, having no end.  Luke 1:33 (KJV)   And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.  The earthly kingdoms come and go but the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ is eternal and will be comprised of people from all nations and people groups on earth.  Daniel sees how the kingdom of God supersedes all the earthly kingdoms.  This is why the three earthly kingdoms have been given a short time on earth.  Once they fulfill their allotted time, they go into extinction but the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ never goes into extinction and will continue after this present world is destroyed and made anew which will last for eternity.  In Matthew 28:18, we read about Jesus being given all power on earth and in Heaven which means He will have the power to transfer the permanency of His kingdom from Heaven to earth, then earth will no more have any temporary kingdoms but will be part of the eternal kingdom of Christ.

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