Daniel 7
The Four Beasts



In Daniel 2, we were given a view of the future course of history, drawn from a perspective which would benefit Nebuchadnezzar. The picture in Daniel 7 is obviously drawn for the benefit of Daniel, for we will see that the vision focuses on the long term progress of history as it affects God's people. Further, unlike the vision in Daniel 8, he is not told to "keep the vision secret". God outlined the future of the world in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. There were to be four kingdoms, then God's kingdom would come. Now we are to see some details of those kingdoms.

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it.
2 Daniel said, "I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.



Without getting technical, Daniel was shown the great sweep of strife among all nations. Prophecy refers to wars as the winds, and to the peoples of the world as the sea. God explicitly reveals that the scene is the turbulent history of the earth.

15 And he said to me, "The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues." Rev 17:15

3 "And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. Dan 7:3

God is unfolding a symbolic view of future history. But Daniel is not left to figure it out for himself. An angel interprets.


15 "As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me.
16 "I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things:
17 'These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth."


Notice that the angel does not tell Daniel what the names of the kingdoms are. But the symbols used were ones he would be expected to recognize. Since it was clear in chapter 2 that there would only be four major kingdoms in the future history of the world, these should be the same four kingdoms. Daniel will get to see the future from a different angle, much like viewing a diamond from a different facet.

4 "The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it."


The winged lion was used by Babylon in its heraldry, so Daniel would see that it fit Babylon. In Jeremiah we find evidence that this symbol was understood.

6 "Lift up a standard toward Zion! Seek refuge, do not stand still, For I am bringing evil from the north, And great destruction.
7 "A lion has gone up from his thicket, And a destroyer of nations has set out; He has gone out from his place To make your land a waste. Your cities will be ruins Without inhabitant." Jer 4:6-7


Jeremiah is referring to the conquest of Israel by Babylon, and uses the lion symbol to represent Babylon. Let's look again at the description of the first kingdom. (The head of gold!)

4 "The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle..."


The lion Babylon aggressively warred with its neighbors. The "wings of an eagle" represent its speed in its conquests. (The third beast will illustrate this further.)

4"...I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it."


Its "wings were plucked". After a period of conquest, Babylon became less active, and stopped its foreign expansion. It lost its aggressiveness and its cunning. In its last few years, Babylon was under attack by MedoPersia. Even while under siege, the Babylonians simply "kept on keepin' on", inside the walls of their capital city. The provinces had fallen, but they remained "fat, dumb, and happy" inside walls that they thought would prevent any enemy from entering. They were so complacent that, at Belshazzar's feast, even the guards got drunk, and the MedoPersians met almost no resistance when they took the city.

5 "And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, 'Arise, devour much meat!'"


MedoPersia, a confederation of the Medes and the Persians, conquered Babylon in 538BC. We can see how well the symbol matches shows the historical situation. The Medes came first, then Persians became the dominant part, aptly symbolized by the bear being "raised up on one side." The three ribs in its mouth are again aptly symbolic of its major areas of conquest: westward toward Babylon in 538BC, northward toward Lydia in 547BC, and southward toward Egypt in 525BC. The command to "Arise, devour much meat" clearly denotes that it should conquer large areas. The lack of wings indicates slower military campaigns. A better picture of the deliberate, vicious conquests of the MedoPersians would be hard to draw. (The breast and arms of silver!)

6 "After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it."


We already saw that the third kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar's dream was Greece. Here we have a brilliant symbolic picture of it. Greece, under Alexander the Great, conquered the known world with a speed which left all observers dumbfounded. Historians agree that his ability to move large armies quickly was unmatched. The leopard is noted for swiftness, but to show this dramatic speed, it was given four wings, not two. When Alexander finished conquering the known world, he cast about for something to keep his interest. Finding nothing, he fell into drunken debauchery and died in 323BC at the ripe old age of 32. His kingdom was splintered as his generals fought among themselves. Eventually, in 301BC, the division of his kingdom was complete

There were four surviving generals, and they occupied the following areas:


Cassander Macedonia and Greece
Lysimachus Thrace and Bythinia
Ptolemy Egypt
Seleucus Syria and points east.


(This was the belly and thighs of bronze!)

And now, the fourth beast. (The legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay!)

7 "After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
8 "While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth uttering great boasts."


We already expect this kingdom to be Rome, since the visions of Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 are parallel. But this doesn't look like the Rome we know from history books. Could this be some other kingdom? It is clear that Daniel was set back by its appearance. It didn't match any heraldic symbols he knew. And while the beasts before it matched animals he knew from nature, "it was different from all the beasts that were before it." He asked the angel for help.

19 "Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet,
20 and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts, and which was larger in appearance than its associates.
21 "I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them
22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.
23 "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.
24 'As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.
25 'And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.


In giving the fourth beast so much attention, God shows His concern that we should be well informed. We should also notice the focus of God’s attention: the "saints". This term has only one application: believers. Any attempt to apply this term to any other group (such as the Jews) is incorrect. This fourth kingdom was very rough on the saints. It is reasonable to expect that this power, because of its actions against the saints, has the direct backing of the Devil. Let's investigate the details.

23 "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. "

This doesn't seem so difficult. The fourth kingdom is particularly nasty. It is also different from all the others. There must be something about it that sets it apart. It can't be the size of its territory, since others "devoured" (the second beast) or occupied "the whole earth" (see Nebuchadnezzar's dream). And while other kingdoms oppressed the conquered peoples, this one will "tread it down and crush it." The degree of oppression must be impressive. God wants this persecution of the saints to be so perfectly understood that he repeats the details several times (v7, v19, v23), while ignoring any substantial details in the other three kingdoms.

We should also remember that the purpose of prophecy is to show God's ultimate victory in the spiritual controversy, not to tell us about temporal future history. This means that any power on whom the prophecy dwells at length should be presumed to be of great spiritual importance. The temporal dominion of such a power is of secondary importance only. It is shown to give a signpost for the faithful.

24 'As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise... "


Where do we find such a kingdom? It is clear from the four headed leopard that the four heads represented four concurrent kingdoms. As we will see in Daniel 8, four horns on the goat's head indicate four concurrent kingdoms. Here, the little horn will "...(come) up among them..." and "...will subdue three kings...". Therefore it would seem logical that these ten horns should represent ten concurrent kingdoms. Several expositors, attempting to support a reconstituted Roman empire in the future have said that there is no such set of ten kingdoms in the breakup of the Roman empire between 351 and 476AD. Many others offer lists of the ten kingdoms. One such list is:


Kingdom
Modern Equivalent
Alamanni Germany
Ostrogoths Austria, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia
Visigoths Spain
Vandals North Africa
Suevi Portugal
Burgundians South France
Heruli Italy
Anglo-Saxons England
Lombards Hungary
Franks France


In the interest of accuracy I must point out that there are many different lists of kingdoms resulting from the breakup of Rome. They can't all be right. Perhaps Desmond Ford has the best explanation:

"We would offer a caveat regarding the interpretation of the ten horns (or toes). The number ten should no more be pressed in this context than in (Daniel)1:20.


20 And as for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm.

(Ten) is a round number frequently used in Scripture. The reality must, however, be more than five or six, or the round number four would have been used. What is represented may indeed rise to a dozen or fifteen and not transcend the symbolism. This precisely fits the situation after the fall of the Roman Empire. The resulting fragments were sometimes more, sometimes less, and rarely stable for long. Thus the lists used to illustrate the prophecy differ slightly one from another."

In 1:20, Daniel is using "ten" as a round number. It is certain that there is no person ten times more intelligent than another, provided that the less intelligent person is able to care for himself and speak. By extension, it seems very appropriate to apply the same meaning to the use of "ten" in the vision.

Ford's comment on the number "four" being a Biblical round number is also worthy of consideration. In the visions of Daniel 7 and 8 are beasts with four heads and four horns. In chapter 8, the four horned goat is explicitly identified as Greece, and the four horns as Alexander the Great's successors. We readily identify the four generals who became kings of the first four relatively stable divisions of the empire. Unfortunately, this is an incomplete picture. The kingdom first broke into six pieces, but two of the generals were quickly defeated. While the resulting four kingdoms exactly match the stated number, they were not the permanent result. The Seleucids conquered the regions of Thrace and Bythinia, leaving only a fragment of Greece independent. The last form of Alexander's empire before Rome was three kingdoms.


History is not a story of stability. It has always been a picture of constant flux. In the example of Greece, four simply happened to be a more stable condition than six, five, or three. What we should read in the numbers "four" and "ten" is "several" and "many".

I must carry this discourse a bit further. Desmond Ford is not the only expositor to use the word "ten" as a round number. An entire school of prophetic interpretation, quite possibly representing a third of all Protestant interpreters, uses the number ten in a similar fashion, just not in this location! The Amillenialists, in discussing the "thousand years" of Revelation 20:4, 7, consider it to be symbolic, not literal. They regard the number ten as representing completion or fullness, and one thousand is ten times ten times ten. To them "one thousand" becomes an ultimate completeness.

It seems that Rome fits so far!

8 "While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; "

20 "...and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell..."


24 "... and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. "


Here is another place where a number of expositors claim that nothing in Roman history matches. If we take a purely secular view of Roman history, this would be true. But we must remember that God is addressing a spiritual conflict. Temporal elements are merely the signposts, not the theme of the story.

Verse 24 points out that this "little horn" kingdom will be "different from the previous ones". What would make a kingdom "different"? Every other kingdom in the vision was a kingdom with territory, subjects, armies, and all the usual trappings of royalty. In order to be different, this king would have to be one with a different type of territory, subjects, army and trappings of royalty. The only historical entity which satisfies this set of requirements is the Papacy (The Roman Catholic Church). Its territory is not physical, it is spiritual. Its subjects are not a result of residence but of profession of faith. Its army is the officers of the church. Its trappings of royalty are the Papal ceremonies and pronouncements. But, does the Papacy truly fit?

First, let’s look at the language used. The three horns that were defeated are described in a different way from any other change of sovereignty so far.


8 "...three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it..."

20 "...before which three of them fell..."

24 "...will subdue three kings. "


The little horn is not described as conquering in the usual fashion. The Hebrew qodam (6925) of verses 8 and 20 translated "before" carries with it the sense of "in its presence", either physical or in point of time. That is, the little horn watches while the other three are uprooted. To identify the three kingdoms, we need to take a side trip.

Most Christians are familiar with the doctrine of the Trinity of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe the three to be different aspects of the same being. This doctrine has been questioned from time to time. One such challenge is of particular interest to us.

Arius was a parish priest of Alexandria (one of the major cities of the day) in the fourth century AD. He preached a doctrine that Jesus was not part of the Godhead. Instead, Jesus was a created being, somewhat less than God, but higher than the angels. This doctrine was called in question at the Council of Nicaea convened by Emperor Constantine in 325AD. The Council condemned the Arian doctrine and banished Arius. However, they were unable to stamp out the teaching. A number of the constituent kingdoms of the Roman empire became firmly Arian. Three of these Arian nations are of interest to us: the Heruli, Vandals, and Ostrogoths.

From 428 to 477, the Vandals under Genseric repeatedly attacked Rome. These Arians caused the Papacy great difficulties until 476, when Odoacer, king of the Heruli, conquered Italy. Also an Arian, he exercised veto power over the election of Popes. This was obviously something the Papacy would like to see terminated. In 488, Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, at the urging of Zeno, Emperor of the East, went to war with the Heruli. After five years, in 493, the Heruli were defeated, Odoacer was killed, and Theodoric became king of Italy.

This was no better for the Papacy. Theodoric thoroughly subjected the Papacy to his power. In 523 Theodoric banished the Pope from Italy until the Pope would agree to convince the Emperor to stop persecuting Arians! Things were no better for the Papacy in North Africa. There the Vandals, no longer able to attack Rome directly, were vigorously persecuting Catholics.

The stage was now set. In 533, Emperor Justinian, in order to gain favor with the Pope, who was still banished to Constantinople, issued a decree stating that the Pope was the head of all the churches. With the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the Vandals in North Africa persecuting Catholics, this decree didn't mean much. Justinian sent his general, Belisarius, to war. In 534 Belisarius defeated the Vandals in North Africa. In late 537, he captured Rome, but the Ostrogoths continued to besiege the city. In February 538, Belisarius finally defeated them. The Pope could now return to Rome.

If the Papacy is the little horn, three kingdoms were uprooted in its presence: the Heruli, Vandals, and Ostrogoths. In no case did the Papacy do the uprooting. It was a not-so-innocent bystander in ordinary wars against its enemies.

Once again, a match!

But does the Papacy match the other characteristics of the little horn?

8 "While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth uttering great boasts.


Let's compare this description with Ezekiel's first vision of heaven. In it, he sees a cloud of fire and lightning, like that which covered the Israelites in the wilderness. Of course, this cloud is the presence of God. In the cloud are four living creatures whose wings cover the presence of God. These creatures each had four faces. The spirit of each creature was represented by a wheel and the wheels were full of eyes.


6 Each of them had four faces and four wings.

10 As for the form of their faces, {each} had the face of a man, all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle.


18 As for their rims they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes round about. Ezek 1:6, 10, 18


These creatures are represented as seeing everything, and therefore having knowledge. Since they are divine creations, they see in a divine manner, and have divine knowledge. In contrast, the little horn had a man's eyes. This little horn would therefore rely on man's knowledge rather than the word of God.

6 And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me.
7 ’But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'
8 "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." Mark 7:6-8


The little horn’s boasting indicates that he thinks he is a big shot. God thinks enough of his importance to discuss him at length, confirming our conclusion that the things he is saying are religious in nature. Paul talks about boasting.

14 But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Gal 6:14


To fill out the picture, let's look at the Q&A session Daniel has with the angel later in the chapter.

19 "Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet,
20 and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts, and which was larger in appearance than its associates.


So far the text is just a recap of what we've already seen, except for this: the little horn "was larger in appearance than its associates." This would indicate that its dominion was larger than the dominions of any of the other horns, or kingdoms. If the Papacy is the little horn, we have a match again! The Papacy's dominion transcended national boundaries, and grew till it occupied the entire known world. This definitely would be "larger" than the other kingdoms.

21 "I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them
22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.


The angel fills in the meaning:

25 'And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.


Now we have the information required to finish identifying the little horn. Does the Papacy fit? Let's look at the details.


25 'And he will speak out against the Most High..."


On its face, this doesn't seem to be terribly useful in identifying the little horn. Lots of kings have blasphemed. In fact, it seems that the false assumption of the attributes of God was routine. However, because it was listed here, and not listed in previous parts of the prophecy indicates that blasphemy was a defining character of the little horn. Before moving on, let us review the definition of blasphemy.

33 The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God." John 10:33

2 And behold, they were bringing to Him a paralytic, lying on a bed; and Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "Take courage, My son, your sins are forgiven."
3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This fellow blasphemes." Matt 9:2-3


In these two passages, the two cardinal elements of blasphemy are presented. The first is claiming to be God. The second is claiming to exercise the exclusive right of God to forgive sins. We know that the Papacy has blasphemy as its identity since, among other things, it claims:

These are statements against the authority of God. At the Fifth Lateran Council in 1512, the Pope accepted the following praise, "Thou art the Shepherd, thou art the Physician, thou art the Governor, thou art the Husbandman, finally, thou art another God on earth." (emphasis added) Even though the modern Catholic Church has endeavored to present a "kinder, gentler" image, at no time has it renounced the Pope's blasphemous claim of divinity. The Papacy still is a match.

25 "...wear down the saints of the Highest One..."


Here is where the identification of the Papacy as the little horn really crystallizes. There has been no persecution in history equal to that of the Papacy against the believers. Hitler and Stalin may approach the overall butchery in numbers, but not in duration. From the time the Papacy began to exercise power in 538AD until its power was broken in 1798, it left an unequaled trail of human carnage as it persecuted "heretics." Once again, a match.

25 '...and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law;..."


The word "intend" refers to the desire of the little horn to make changes, but does not allow any ability to make them. The word zeman (2166) ("times") is an Aramaic word directly referring to set times or seasons. It is directly comparable to the Hebrew mo'ed (4150), which means an appointed time or set feast. We may then infer that God is telling Daniel that the little horn will attempt to change set times of observance that have been ordained by God. An appropriate alternate translation puts it this way:

25 "...he shall think to change feasts and law..."


The Catechism of the Council of Trent sheds light on this. "It pleased the Church of God that the religious celebration of the Sabbath day should be transferred to 'the Lord's Day' "(Sunday by their reckoning). This statement agrees perfectly with the history of Sunday observance. The Sabbath was created by God during creation, and is not the prerogative of any man to change. Any change in it must be made by God. Here is a clear example of "intend(ing) to make alterations in times".

25 '...and he will intend to make alterations ... in law..."


In the time of Martin Luther, Papal emissaries traveled Europe selling "indulgences". Indulgences allowed the purchaser to engage in whatever sinful act they chose, without fear of the penalty of sin. This practice was in fact one of the "last straws" which led Luther to publish his "95 Theses", challenging the doctrines of the Catholic Church. This doctrine was based on the Papacy's assertion that "the Pope is of so great authority that he can modify, explain, or interpret divine laws." Without visiting the numerous other claims to change divine law, it is clear that the Papacy matches the prophecy's statement about the little horn.

While it is clear that the Papacy could not actually change God's law, it "intended" to change it. Another match!

At this time we need to remind ourselves of the telescoping nature of apocalyptic prophecy. The little horn power would "wage war with the saints" and "overpower them until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One". The danger to the saints from this power continues right up until the second coming. But the Papacy lost its temporal authority a long time ago. Does this mean that we have goofed? No! We are seeing both the Papacy AND the power behind the evil throne: Satan. The prophecy is written, just like Jesus' Olivet discourse (Matt 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21) in a blended manner, looking both near and far at the same time. God has given us both a specific and a general outlook through the character of the fourth beast and its little horn. Let's make this more clear.

25 '...and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. "


God is telling us that the little horn will have virtually a free hand with the saints for a period of time. Notice that this is different from "waging war". Satan will wage war on the saints right up until the time he is thrown into the lake of fire. But he will only be allowed to "overpower" them for an appointed amount of time. But how long a period will it be?

The Hebrew word for "time" is "idaan" (5732). It is generally used to denote a somewhat undefined period of time. In Daniel, it is used several ways, including the "times" of Nebuchadnezzar's madness in chapter 4. Without further scriptural assistance, we have a bit of difficulty asserting the length of this period. Fortunately for us, this prophecy is repeated several times, including references to "1,260 days" (Rev 11:3), "forty-two months" (Rev 11:2), and a revisitation of "time and times and half a time" (Rev 12:14).

As you will recall from the discussion of the three horns pulled out by the roots in the presence of the little horn, Belisarius broke the Ostrogoth siege of Rome in February of 538. The Papacy was now free of oppressive political powers. What good did that do? It's time for a flashback.

In 533, Emperor Justinian issued his Edict declaring that the Pope was the ultimate authority over all the churches. This didn't do the Pope much good while the Ostrogoths (Arians) had him banished from Rome and the Vandals (Arians) were persecuting Catholics in North Africa. But when these powers were eliminated, the Pope was ready to exercise the power granted by Justinian. (It is worth noting that the Papacy's power derived from a king, not from God.)

Just as the Papacy was becoming ascendant, a conniving local church elder, Vigilius, arranged for the sitting Pope, Silverius, to be deposed and exiled to an island where he was starved to death. For the price of two hundred pounds of gold, he then got himself elected Pope. This certainly seems to be an appropriate way to assume the status of "Vicar of Christ on Earth".

All sarcasm aside, in March of 538, Vigilius assumed the Papacy, and began to exercise dominion over all the peoples of Europe. The Arian heresy had caused such problems for the papacy that Vigilius began a vigorous campaign to stamp out all "heresies". At the direction of Rome, papal officers would determine that some poor servant of Christ was a heretic. He would be handed over to the civil authorities for execution so that the church would not have blood on its hands. Shades of Pontius Pilate!


The Papacy exercised absolute authority until the Reformation began to bring the Gospel back to the people. Even then, the persecution of God's people continued until Napoleon's General Berthier entered Rome in February 1798. He took the Pope prisoner. The Pope died in exile, and when a new Pope was installed in 1800, he no longer exercised temporal power. The modern Papacy has not changed its teachings, which are clearly contrary to the Bible, but it has lost the ability to enforce its will.

This period, March 538 to February 1798 is exactly 1,260 years, the time predicted.


9 "I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow, And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire.
10 "A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, And the books were opened.


At this point there is a scene change in the prophecy. Daniel does not note when the thrones were set up, but we are not left without a definite time for this event. The word translated "court" here is best translated "judgment". The RSV best captures this meaning by saying that "the court sat in judgment". Daniel was given encouragement by being directed to the majesty and authority of God in the time of the final judgment of the wicked. Throughout his visions, when things look darkest, God reassures Daniel by emphasizing the final victory of God over Satan.

God is its presiding officer of this court in heaven. Daniel describes Him as "the Ancient of Days". He is the only biblical writer to use this term emphasizing the fact that God is uncreated, but is the creator of all.

2 Before the mountains were born, Or Thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God. Psalm 90:2


Next we note that "His vesture was like white snow". This brings to mind the pure white robes of the high priest on the day of atonement. God’s white hair emphasizes this total purity of God, in contrast to the blasphemy of the little horn. His purity even contrasts with the ritual purity of the priests, whose robes were pure, but their lives frequently were not. The throne "ablaze with flames" and the "river of fire" flowing from it bring to mind the majesty of God, who is described in the OT seven places as a "consuming fire". It also answers the question asked by Isaiah:

14 Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless. "Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?" Is 33:14


Other thrones have been set up. Since we will not be seated on thrones until after the judgment, these cannot be for redeemed sinners. Likewise, angels are never seated on thrones. The only choice available is the "elders".

4 And around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. Rev 4:4


The elders cannot be redeemed sinners, since no redeemed sinners have received their rewards yet (Heb 11:39-40). They are representatives of unfallen worlds in the heavenly courts. The remainder of the hosts of heaven are arrayed before God, and the "books were opened".

We should note that the book of life is not opened at this time. The "books" are of a different character than the book of life, which contains the names of those who have been redeemed. The "books" are mentioned in one other place.

12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. Rev 20:12


These books contain the records of all the sins of men. Before we are saved, we are part of this record, but when we claim the cross, our savior takes those sins and blots them out, so they will not be remembered. The evil deeds of the four beast kingdoms is the record being examined at this time. God's justice is being carried out in full view of the universe.

11 "Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire.
12 "As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.


Daniel's view is returned to the sequence of events on the earth. The court, which he just saw, will terminate the fourth kingdom with prejudice, Then he is reminded that the three previous kingdoms had not been terminated, but absorbed into their successors, giving them "an extension of life". Since there will be no earthly successor to the fourth kingdom, its life terminates completely at the judgment. As the ultimate successor to the others, the death of the fourth kingdom becomes the death of the other three as well.

13 "I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him.


At this point, Daniel is given another view of heaven. We must not casually accept the idea that this event is in a perfect chronological sequence with the four beasts. Our discussion has passed back and forth through the chapter so much that it is easy to lose our place. Verses 2-8 present a continuous scene of the sweep of history. Verses 9-10 interpose a different view, but continue the flow of history. Verses 11-12 finish time on earth. Now, in verses 13-14, Daniel is given a separate view of the key element in God's victory.

The first point to note is that " One like a Son of Man" comes into view. This is the first use of this term for Christ in scripture. It emphasizes the humanity of our High Priest while also showing His divine difference from mankind. Jesus, who repeatedly claimed this title, is then presented to "the Ancient of Days". This scene is nothing less than the presentation of Jesus' atoning sacrifice to the Father in heaven. We know that this occurred far sooner than the breakup of the Roman empire. After the cross, Jesus ascended to His Father. He then returned for a final forty days with the disciples before His final ascension. During this time He said:

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matt 28:18-20


Daniel was given a preview of this.

14 "And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.


Jesus' kingdom was given to Him when the Father accepted His sacrifice. It was a spiritual kingdom of peoples of all nations and languages. This kingdom is, however, invisible until the second coming and the final judgment of the wicked. Then the kingdom, to which we also have title, will be ours to possess and enjoy.

18 'But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.'

26 'But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.
27 'Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.'


What a glorious picture! The great oppressor of God's people will be destroyed. Earth "will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One". To truly understand the beauty of this, we have to put ourselves into the shoes of a Jew.

As modern people, we think of a court judgment as something to approach with anxiety. We almost automatically place ourselves in the position of a defendant in a criminal case, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst. A Jew would look at this differently. In his mind, he is a plaintiff in a civil suit. He has been wronged by the evil one. The judge is more of a defender or advocate than a judge. Judgment, to a Jew, is vindication. This is clearly consistent with OT Jewish thought.

4 "When Pharaoh will not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt, and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments. Ex 7:4

19 "Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, And my advocate is on high. Job 16:19


It also appears in NT teaching.


1 My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 1 John 2:1


The judgment envisioned in Daniel is salvation for the saints, and a termination of evil. The saints have been cruelly oppressed by Satan and his minions, and they cry out for justice.

9 And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;
10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Rev 6:9-10


Judgment is not to be feared, but to be eagerly anticipated.

But wait! There is still one problem to deal with. Some interpreters insist that the story we have just told isn't the right one. They claim that the judgment must come immediately at the end of the 1,260 days. Since 1798 was a long time ago, and the Papacy clearly still exists, the 1,260 days cannot have finished. To resolve this problem, we have to look at the language of the prophecy. Verse 26 starts with "'But the court will sit for judgment." This is simply a statement of final outcome. It does not say "at that time" to imply an event immediately following the 1,260 days. To clarify this point, let's look at a place where Daniel does use an immediate implication.

1 "Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise." Dan 12:1a (emphasis added)


When Daniel wants to say "right now", that's what he says. The final judgment of the little horn is in the future.

In summary, the lion is Babylon, the bear is MedoPersia, and leopard is Greece, and the fearful and terrible beast is Rome. The little horn is the Papacy, which attempted to exterminate the saints who kept the Word of God. Its power was broken after 1,260 years of dominion in 1798. Its final judgment and the reward of the saints are yet to come.

There is a simple, direct match on every point. We do not need to look further. We have a direct, literal fulfillment of the prophecy.