The Prophecies of Daniel
Part 5: The Judgment and the Kingdom
We have reached Part Five of our study of the prophecies found in the book of Daniel. We are still in the seventh chapter of Daniel exploring the vision given to Daniel concerning the Times of the Gentiles and the four wild beasts.
Two weeks ago we looked at the meaning of the four wild beasts that arose from the great sea. These beasts correspond to the metals found in the vision of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue and stand for the four great Gentile world powers that would hold sway in the Middle East.
Last week we studied the little horn of the fourth beast, which stands for the final great Gentile ruler, the antichrist. I showed you why I think that the antichrist will come from somewhere in the Middle East as opposed to Europe as most Bible prophecy scholars are putting forth. And we saw that he will be allowed to wage war against the Jewish people for a period of three and a half years.
Now, the Old Testament prophet Daniel was given a series of successive visions. By this I mean that the prophecies or visions found in his book cover the same topic or period of time, the Times of the Gentiles. However, each successive prophecy is different in that it reveals a little bit more information and detail about what is happening during this period of time. The vision of the four beasts in Daniel 7 covers the same topic as the vision of the giant statue in Daniel 2, just with more detail revealed.
This being so, we should realize that in Daniel 7 we have covered everything that was foretold in Daniel 2 except for the final part which deals with the judgement and the final world kingdom set up under the rule of Jesus Christ. So, today we are going to finish this vision by examining these final two pieces.
I. The Judgment
So, to begin this morning let’s read the passage of Daniel 7 that deals with the judgment.
Daniel 7:9-12 and 26, “As I looked thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. [10] A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.
[11] Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the [little] horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. [12] (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)
[26] But the court will sit, and his [the little horn, antichrist] power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.”
This is the scene that corresponds to the Rock in Daniel chapter two smashing into the feet and toes of the Colossus and destroying the entire statue. This is the judgment.
A. The Rock = The Ancient of Days
In Daniel 2 Jesus Christ was represented by the Rock that was cut out without human hands. Here in chapter seven He is called the Ancient of Days. Now, some study Bibles and commentaries will say that this reference is actually referring to God the Father and not Jesus the Son. They say this because in the next part of this vision which deals with the kingdom, there is another reference to the Ancient of Days in which God the Father is clearly the One being spoken of. But there are two very important reasons why we can say with certainty that here in verses 9-12, this is Jesus who is sitting down to pronounce judgment and not the Father.
1. Compare to Revelation 1
The first reason we know this is because in Revelation chapter one there is a passage of Scripture in which the Apostle John describes Jesus Christ, and his description is extremely similar to this portion of Daniel, which we just read. Look with me at Revelation 1:13-15,
“and among the lampstands was someone ‘like a son of man,’ dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. [14] His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. [15] His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters…”
And this Person identifies Himself in verse 18 by saying, Revelation 1:18, ‘I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.’”
We know this is Jesus because He says He is the One who died and is now alive. And since this description matches the one given in Daniel, it’s reasonable to believe that the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7:9-12 is also Jesus the Son and not God the Father.
2. Only the Son Judges
The second reason we know that this is Jesus is that this scene is depicting judgment. And there is a passage of Scripture in John chapter five that explains the fact that God the Father is not the One who is going to be judging the world.
John 5:22, “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son.”
B. Which Judgment?
Okay, we know that Jesus is going to be the judge, so let’s return to the judgment scene. This scene has given me great difficulty in trying to interpret it this week. Just when I think I got a handle on understanding it, I found myself more confused. So, if there is any error in the interpretation of this passage you can lay them squarely at my feet. What I am presenting to you this morning is my best understanding of this scene.
First of all, while I was looking at this passage, I was trying to figure out just which judgment it was depicting. There are going to be three judgments that end the Times of the Gentiles. A few years ago we did a study on the final judgments in which we covered these three. [I still have copies of this study and can make them available upon request.]
One is the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15). This is the judgment of the believers in Christ after we have been raptured from the earth. Since this is a judgment that occurs in heaven, and this judgment scene in Daniel is occurring in heaven, I saw a connection here, because neither of the other two judgments occur in heaven. However, since the Church of believers is not seen in the book of Daniel, I doubt this is the judgment being mentioned.
If we look at the results of the judgment in verse 11 and 12, we find that the beasts are the things being judged, and the beasts stand for the nations of the world. So, this scene could be describing the judgment of the nations, which occurs at when Christ returns to earth and defeats the antichrist and his army and sets up His earthly kingdom. This judgment is found in Joel 3 and Revelation 19. This seems like the most likely interpretation of this scene, but the judgment of the nations is supposed to occur on earth in the Valley of Jehoshaphat and this scene is taking place in heaven.
Then there is a third judgment that will occur at the end of the Times of the Gentiles. It is the judgment of the Jewish people, and it is called the Great Tribulation. I thought this may be a possibility as well because this judgment scene echoes the scene in Revelation 4 and 5.
Jesus begins the Tribulation period by opening the seals of the scroll. And Daniel 7:10, says that the books were opened. The word translated “books” could also be translated as “scrolls.”
So, you can see my confusion here. I couldn’t figure out which of the three judgments was being depicted in this scene. Until, finally I realized that this scene was showing all three of the judgments. It’s not showing us one specific judgment its showing us an overall view of all the judgments that are going to occur at the end of the Times of the Gentiles and the Dispensation of Grace.
C. Only Three Beasts Destroyed?
The other thing that was throwing me for a loop about this judgment scene was verses 11 and 12. Daniel 7:11-12, “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the [little] horn was speaking. I kept looking until the [fourth] beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. [12] (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)
Here we see the fourth beast being totally destroyed and its body thrown into the fire, but the other three beasts were not. It says that their authority or power or dominion was taken away from them, but that they were allowed to live for a period of time. I kept asking myself, why? Why was one beast destroyed and not all of them?
Then, remembering that chapter seven is explaining chapter two in more detail, I got even more confused when I read Daniel 2:34-35, “While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. [35] Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace…” Why were all the nations represented by the metals destroyed in chapter two but only one nation in chapter seven?
The answer to these questions I believe has to do with the fact that the metals in the statue in chapter two and the beasts in chapter seven represent two different aspects of the empires they depict. The metals represent the power and authority of the four great world empires; whereas, the four beasts represent the character and existence of the people who made up those empires.
You see the destruction of the entire metal statue is showing us that the power, the authority, the might of the empires is destroyed and taken away. You will no longer find a Babylonian Empire or a Persian Empire in existence in today’s world. Their power is long gone. This is what was depicted by the Rock striking and destroying the Colossus. This also supports the twelfth verse of chapter seven, which tells us that the power, or authority of three of the beasts were taken away from them. And verse 26, which tells us that the antichrist’s power will also be taken away forever.
Now, the beasts, while they represent the same empires as the metal, are depicting the people and the characteristics of the empires. While you won’t find a Babylon Empire in power today, you can find the descendants of its people in the peoples of Iraq. You won’t find a Persian Empire in power today, but you can find the descendants of its people in the peoples of Iran. So, you see while the ancient empires no longer have their power to rule, they still exist in their descendants.
That brings us to the fact that verse 11 tells us that the fourth beast, “was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.” What is so different about the fourth beast that not only will its power and authority be removed but the people that make up that nation will also be destroyed?
Well, the fourth beast represents the Ancient Roman Empire and the Last Days’ Kingdom of the antichrist. This empire has technically been in existence since approximately 100 BC. That means that this empire saw the first coming of Christ and it will see the Second Coming as well.
The peoples that make up this empire have heard the truth of the gospel. In its ancient form, Christ, the Lamb of God walked among them, taught them, and called them to repentance. From that point on, the people of the fourth empire have had a choice to make, either to accept Christ and His atonement or reject Him.
This empire is the only one that has existed during the Dispensation of Grace. And like with all other dispensations, this one is going to end with a judgment. And this judgment is going to be based on whether or not the individuals decided to accept or reject Christ. You are either a part of Christ’s body or the body of the fourth beast. You either accept Christ as your Savior or you worship the antichrist.
And the judgment of those who reject Christ is made very clear in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, “…They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. [11] For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie [antichrist] [12] and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”
You see the people that make up the body of the fourth beast have no excuse. They have been given the truth and if they reject it they will perish.
II. The Kingdom
That was the judgment scene, now let’s look at verses 13 and 14 and get a glimpse at the coming kingdom.
Daniel 7:13-14, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. [14] He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
A. Ancient of Days = God the Father
Right away you may notice an apparent contradiction. In the judgment scene we saw that the Ancient of Days was God the Son, where as here we are told that the Ancient of Days is God the Father. How can we reconcile this?
We should realize that “Ancient of Days” is a title that belongs to the Trinity, so it could be referring to any one of the members of the Trinity. It’s like the title “Mister.” In my family my father is called by the title of Mr. Bickel. But since I have two grown brothers, they can also claim the title of Mr. Bickel. They are three separate people, but they all have the same title. This is what the phrase “Ancient of Days” is. It is a title that can be bestowed upon any one of the members of the Trinity.
Also, Jesus tells us in John 10:30 that, “I and the Father are one.” So, without trying to go into an explanation of the mystery of the Trinity, we can see that God the Father and God the Son are one and the same, thus the title “Ancient of Days” can be used when talking about either one of them. And since we know from other Scripture passages that Jesus is supposed to receive the kingdom from His Father, then we know that in verses 13 and 14 the Ancient of Days is referring to God the Father. And Jesus is now the son of man coming with the clouds of heaven.
B. Rock Cut Out Without Human Hands
Now, remember in Daniel 2:34, we saw that the Rock was cut out without human hands. When we looked at the interpretation of this we saw that it meant Jesus the Rock was given His kingdom without the aid of humans. In other words, His Kingdom comes from a divine source. In this scene in chapter seven we can now see that Jesus receives His kingdom from His Father in heaven.
C. Rock Grows Into a Mountain
And also in Daniel 2:35 we saw that the Rock after it destroyed the statue, or imparted judgement, grew into a mountain that covered the entire earth. This we said stood for the fact that Jesus’ kingdom was going to fill the entire earth and it would never be destroyed.
This is likewise confirmed in Daniel 7:14, “He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
III. The Antichrist
Now before we end this vision there is one last thing I want to point out to you about the antichrist as revealed to us here. In verse 26 we read, “But the court will sit, and his [the little horn’s, the antichrist’s] power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.”
Notice the fact that the antichrist himself is not destroyed here. It just says that his power is taken away from him. This is because the antichrist is not killed. We find out what happens to him in Revelation 19:20, “But the beast [antichrist] was captured, and with him the false prophet… The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.”
The antichrist will not be killed; he’ll be thrown alive into the lake of fire.
That ends the interpretation of the second vision of Daniel. Next week we will begin studying the third vision of the ram and the goat. If you have time this week read chapter eight of the book of Daniel and familiarize yourself with the prophecy found there.
Sermon Sources:
The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, New International Version. Edited by Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. AMG Publishers. Chattanooga, TN. Copyright 1996.
Larkin, Rev. Clarence. The Book of Daniel. Clarence Larkin Estate, Glenside, PA. Copyright 1929.
Stone, Dr. Perry. Preparing the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. Two-hour CD teaching. Copyright 2007. www.perrystone.org. Voice of Evangelism.
