Daniel 7- Explanation

“I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I 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. [1-4] These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. [g] But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. [4u] Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; [4d] And 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 spoke very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; [g] 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. [4u] Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be different from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. [4d] And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be different from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 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 year and years and the dividing of a year. [s] But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. [g] 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. Here is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my appearance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.” (v15-28)

Be careful in understanding and explaining the judgment scene. The vision and the interpretation overlap, but are not one-for-one identical in explaining each symbol in order like in chapter 2. For example, in verse 10, the Ancient of Days and the angels conduct the judgment, but in verse 22 the judgment is given to the saints. These are two different judgments or two aspects of one judgment. They are not the same.

Something else to watch is the Ancient of Days. In the vision, God the Father sits down and the Son of man moves to Him. In the interpretation, the Ancient of Days moves to the saints, who are on earth. God’s judgment is followed by the Second Coming, then, in the interpretation, the Second Coming is followed by the saints’ judgment.

In this chapter, there are many things written about the fourth empire that can help us identify it. (Hint: the Bible never names it.) However, at this point, we must resist the urge to dive into the historical details and get lost trying to figure out the puzzle. Such an activity would distract from the pattern being developed and there are still more details to come. Also, the spiritual key still awaits us in chapter 9.

What we will do at this point is collect the characteristics we find into a list. It is below. After covering the basics of Daniel and Revelation, the next time around will then be better for long term comprehension. At this point, we must be patient with just numbering the kingdoms and realizing that God will later have much to teach us about this anti-Christian power.

We are told the four beasts are four kings/kingdoms that last until the saints take the kingdom. This everlasting empire is the earth because it is the greatness of the kingdom “under the whole heaven.” World empire takes over world empire until finally the earth is brought to rest by God’s global kingdom.

Although none of the empires are named in this chapter, the parallels are unmistakable. Four kingdoms fill up human history with the last the most fierce of all before dividing into ten weaker parts. The little, eleventh horn is new but does not contradict the dream of the statue. Rather, it adds new information. Prophecy is progressive.

Just like Adam’s and Moses’ prophecies, Daniel shows the saints conquering the earth. It is a later, Christian development that sends God’s people to heaven at the end of time. We will examine that when we get to Revelation.