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Daniel 7:7-287After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. 8I 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. 9I 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. 10A 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. 11I 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. 12As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. 13I 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. 14And 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. 15I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. 16I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. 17These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. 18But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. 19Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; 20And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. 21I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22Until 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. 23Thus 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. 24And 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. 25And 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. 26But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. 27And 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. 28Hitherto 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. (Daniel 7:7‑28)
In the second vision of Daniel, verses 7-12, he sees the last of the four Gentile empires, that of Rome, and a judgment scene with solemn issue. Much attention is given to the fourth beast, because the empire it represents was in existence when the Lord was upon earth, and under its authority He was crucified (see. Luke 2:11And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (Luke 2:1); Matthew 22:17-2117Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? 18But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? 19Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. 20And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? 21They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. (Matthew 22:17‑21); John 19:12, 1512And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. (John 19:12)
15But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. (John 19:15)). The empire will be revived in the days now rapidly approaching (Rev. chapters 13, 17, 19) when it will serve Satan as no power has clone heretofore.
What marked the fourth empire was resistless strength; what it did not absorb, it destroyed. It was unlike its three predecessors, because it introduced some features of a republic; professing to be a government of the people, it was as despotic as any monarchy that has ever existed. The beast which Daniel saw had ten horns; these belong to the future reappearance of the empire which came to an end nearly 1460 years ago.
In verse 24 the ten horns are explained as ten kings. The revived Roman empire will be comprised of or include ten countries of Europe, each of which will have a king of its own (see Rev. 17:1212And 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. (Revelation 17:12)), No doubt these will be within the territory of the empire as it formerly existed. Among the ten kings there will appear another having a small beginning but quickly becoming the most important of all, and taking the place of three of them; he becomes the imperial head. He will be great in intelligence and pretension, not so much in brute force (verse 8).
In verse 9 we should read “set” or “placed” instead of “cast down”. The “Ancient of days” can be none other than the eternal God; the language used suggests the Person who is seen in Revelation 1:13-10. (See also John 5:22, 23, 2722For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 23That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. (John 5:22‑23)
27And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. (John 5:27)). The Son is, however, not revealed in verses 9 and 10 of our chapter, but in the second reference, in verses 13 and 14. Rev. 4 and 5 may be compared with this passage; in the former is a throne of judgment, and God sits upon it; the Persons are not distinguished there, but in chapter 5 the Lamb is introduced as the Executor of the judgments. The Rejected One becomes the Judge (Phil. 2:9:11). So in our chapter.
The saints of God are not mentioned until verse 18 is reached. In verses 18 and 22, the saints of the high places (see margin) are the heavenly saints of all ages, and with them will be those mentioned in Revelation 20:44And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4). In verses 21 and 25 the saints are the believing Jews, converted after the removal of the Church of God to heavenly glory, suffering under the persecution of the last days. In verse 22 “the saints” is a term plainly general, referring to the heavenly and earthly saints, and in verse 27, “the people of the saints of the high places” are evidently the Jews.
Verses 15 and 28 tell of Daniel’s feelings in view of what he had been told. The restoration of Israel was now far off; not until the Babylonian empire, under which he then lived, and three others, should have run their course (and as we know, too, the long interval of the gospel of the grace of God) would the promised day of blessing dawn.
ML 07/12/1936