15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. 16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 17 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’
19 “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, 20 and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. 21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.
23 “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,
there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,
which shall be different from all the kingdoms,
and it shall devour the whole earth,
and trample it down, and break it to pieces.
24 As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,
and another shall arise after them;
he shall be different from the former ones,
and shall put down three kings.
25 He shall speak words against the Most High,
and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,
and shall think to change the times and the law;
and they shall be given into his hand
for a time, times, and half a time.
26 But the court shall sit in judgment,
and his dominion shall be taken away,
to be consumed and destroyed to the end.
27 And the kingdom and the dominion
and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven
shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;
his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,
and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’
28 “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.” Daniel 7: 15-28 ESV
Daniel 7: 15-28 Dream Interpreted
1I speak the truth in Christ; I am not lying, as confirmed by my conscience in the Holy Spirit. 2 I have deep sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my own flesh and blood,… Romans 9: 1-3
The visions of my head alarmed me - He sees that the Son of David is coming, and that it will work out according to God's will, that God is not reacting or alarmed, yet what he saw sickened him. He sees the distress of his people, and we have seen Daniel to be a caring and compassionate man even with Nebuchadnezzar and Darius. He is not cold or indifferent as a prophet, nor should we be that carry the gospel of good news, for to those who believe it is, yet to those who reject God's call to repentance it is a dreadful thing to contemplate. They walk towards a fate far worse than death, laughing all the way, but I have done nothing to deserve to walk the path that leads to life. He has to understand this the way it is, see it the way God shows him and then tell it the way God tells him, for it is not a message that can be adjusted for every crowd. He has to say it like it is, but he should feel sorrow and compassion, we need to in order to tell the truth in love.
Distressed - The Aramaic verb conveys the picture of one who is pierced. Why was he distressed, even "pierced in his spirit"? The context answers this question for as the vision and its interpretation unfolds, Daniel's learns that the rise of the Little Horn will bring a 3.5 year period of great tribulation (Da 7:21-note, Da 7:25-note) on his people the Jews. Obviously all believers during this 3.5 year period will be persecuted by the Little Horn, but Daniel was not aware of the NT saints from every tribe, tongue, people and nation (cp Rev 7:9-note, Rev 7:14-note). - Precept Austin
…9And I went to the angel and said, “Give me the small scroll.” “Take it and eat it,” he said. “It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.” 10So I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it; and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned bitter. 11And they told me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”… Revelation 10: 9-11
I approached one of those who stood there - This is probably one of the myriad of angels or saints standing around the throne.
13Then one of the elders addressed me: “These in white robes,” he asked, “who are they, and where have they come from?” 14“Sir,” I answered, “you know.” So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.… Revelation 7: 13-14
…2“Where are you going?” I asked. “To measure Jerusalem,” he replied, “and to determine its width and length.” 3Then the angel who was speaking with me went out, and another angel came out to meet him 4and said to him, “Run and tell that young man: ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the multitude of men and livestock within it.… Zechariah 2: 2-4
These four great beasts are four kings - This goes back to the interpretation of Daniel 2 and then the vision of the 4 beasts earlier in this chapter.
The saints of the Most High - They were those that believed, would not deny God, and are preserved by Him to the end.
…11This is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; 12if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us; 13if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.… 2 Timothy 2: 11-13
Forever and ever - Eternity
…67So Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to leave too?” 68Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”… John 6: 67-69
Then I desired to know the truth - He wanted to have a better understanding of the fourth kingdom that would arise, the Roman empire and this small horn, the antichrist that would protrude from the final form of this world kingdom.
This horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them - A lot of people don't like this, but we don't win here, we don't hold down the fort. Christ has to return to defeat antichrist and even the two witnesses, that are seemingly indestructible, God will eventually allow to be killed by this little horn. It is a small thing compared to eternal glory.
…5The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months. 6And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle— those who dwell in heaven. 7Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.… Revelation 13: 5-7
7When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them. 8 Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city— figuratively called Sodom and Egypt— where their Lord was also crucified. 9For three and a half days all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will view their bodies and will not permit them to be laid in a tomb.… Revelation 11: 7-9
Until the Ancient of Days came - This is when all will be reconciled. It is a hard concept for freedom loving Americans, but there are Christians all over the world right now that live in fear of their governments, have family in jail, and are even martyred. God will come and require their blood at the hands of their persecutors. God didn't call Daniel to overthrow Babylon or Persia, nor did he call the Apostles to overthrow Rome. He called them to share the gospel, that is the power of God to salvation.
…18If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” 20On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.”… Romans 12: 18-20
And shall think to change the times and the law - This is new information that we didn't have earlier in the chapter. The antichrist will want to change the law, probably call good evil and evil good, that way is well paved even now. Even people who call themselves believers reject much of God's law. Now to change the times is a little bit more difficult to discern, but it could be like recent calls to change the divisions of history, people want to change B.C., which means "before Christ" and A.D. which means Anno Domini (Latin) "in the year of our Lord" to C.E. and BCE which means Common Era and Before Common Era. People are also afraid to die which is part of the natural cycle of life, and there are billionaires, even today, that realize, like Solomon, that you build these massive empires, but then you can't take it with you. If you are a true atheist in practice, then you also realize, who cares about my legacy, if there is nothing after death then I will have no conscious to respond or react to that either. So now Bezos and others are trying to find ways to live longer so they can enjoy their billions, yet again, if there is no after life then it doesn't matter because you will have no conscious to regret that you didn't live longer. Like Satan, the final antichrist, I believe, will fully recognize that their is a God, yet he will be arrogant and prideful enough to contest God. It was like Neb at the end of the year after Daniel interpreted his dream about becoming a wild ass, he knew there was a God, and he knew that what this God said would happen, he was told that he was arrogant, and Daniel warned him to repent of this, but he decided to lift himself up instead. God was kind to that king, but like the Bible says, Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated, God only owes them the wages of their sin, and that is death, yet He showed Nebuchadnezzar a kindness in chastening and humbling him, and that is grace. Death is what's fair, and grace is mercy undeserved, earned by another, that other being Christ.
Donald Campbell - He will attempt to change moral and natural laws of the universe, apparently without success. An example of this may be seen in the attempt made by the leaders of the French Revolution to replace the seven-day week established by God with a ten-day week. Their efforts failed. (Daniel: God's Man in a Secular Society)
Gleason Archer - This dictator will impose a new legal system on all his subjects, doubtless based on totalitarian principles in which the service of the government or the state will be substituted for the absolute standards of God's moral law. All dissent or opposition to the decisions and policies of the little horn will be adjudged treasonable and punishable by death. His program will include a revision of the calendar; this seems to be implied by "to change the set times" (zimnin , lengths or periods of time). (Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary)
Ray Pritchard - No one really knows what this means. Will it involve somehow adjusting the time schedule so that we no longer have a 24-hour day? Will he invoke a five-day week? Or a 15-month year? Changing the laws indicates that he will attack the moral foundations of society. When the antichrist comes to power, wrong will become right and right will become wrong. Moral values will be inverted as he makes his final mad bid for world domination. (Animal Parade)
Whitcomb suggests that "The "law" he will intend to change will probably be the law of God. One law of God is that "the soul who sins will die" (Ezek. 18:4, 20; Ro 6:23). The Antichrist, speaking for the "father of lies," will seek to reverse this foundational law of the moral and spiritual universe, just as Satan said to Eve: "You surely shall not die!" (Gen. 3:4). (Whitcomb, J: Daniel- Everyman's Bible Commentary) - Precept Austin
For a time, times and half a time - Power will be put into his hands, and he will dominate everyone living, destroying those who won't conform to him. We will get even more of a picture of this in coming chapters, because there are many antichrists in the world, and the Bible will predict some coming before him that will give great insight to his reign. A time is a year, then times is 2 years, plus a half a time, so for 3 1/2 years power will be turned over to him, and he will murder the saints. This will be in the second half of the tribulation, Daniel's 70th week. Thankfully the time will be short, and God will protect His elect that have yet to believe.
…6Ask now, and see: Can a male give birth? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor and every face turned pale? 7How awful that day will be! None will be like it! It is the time of Jacob’s distress, but he will be saved out of it. 8On that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, I will break the yoke off their necks and tear off their bonds, and no longer will strangers enslave them.… Jeremiah 30: 6-8
…21For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again. 22 If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short. 23At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it.… Matthew 24: 21-23
13And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15Then from the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent.… Revelation 12: 13-15
But the court shall sit in judgment - There will be no misunderstanding or false accusation, a very clear and cut case. The Stone that was cut without human hands will destroy this kingdom and it's wicked ruler.
…8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and FALSE wonder, 10and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.… 2 Thessalonians 2: 8-10
Annihilated - Speaks of complete destruction. Utter consumption. Woods writes that this Aramaic verb "signifies more than simply ruining or destroying something but described a destruction that could not be reversed or fixed. Its connotations go far beyond mere destruction to mean to consume, to destroy completely without hope of restoration. In Daniel 7:26, this verb was used to signify a total destruction of a ruler’s power. This verb is used only to describe a final destruction. God is the power behind this ultimate destruction. (Baker, W.: The Complete Word Study Dictionary- Old Testament) - Precept Austin
And the kingdom and the dominion - God is going to literally fulfill His unilateral covenant with Abraham. Israel is going to go back into the land, Christ will be the King of kings, ruling the world.
…23Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow to you facedown and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in Me will never be put to shame.” 24Can the plunder be snatched from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be delivered? 25Indeed, this is what the LORD says: “Even the captives of the mighty will be taken away, and the plunder of the tyrant will be retrieved; I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.… Isaiah 49: 23-25
…18“I will gather those among you who grieve over the appointed feasts, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. 19Behold, at that time, I will deal with all who afflict you. I will save the lame and gather the scattered; and I will appoint praise and fame for the disgraced throughout the earth. 20At that time I will bring you in; yes, at that time I will gather you. For I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your captives before your very eyes,” says the LORD.… Zephaniah 3: 18-20
All dominions shall serve and obey Him - God is the rightful owner as Creator, and the Potter has a right over the clay, which means He could have and should have, by His own declaration of holiness and the character of His being, destroyed the world and all who are on it, much like the time of the flood. Yet He is a redeemer, and this is history, God providing the Son as a way to not destroy all life, even though it was fallen to such decay. Every day, every breath was paid for by the promise of the Son, that He would live a holy and sinless life, and that He, Who knew no sin, would become sin in our place, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world. This is where I put all my hope, not in false messiahs, but in the Creator of the universe, Who has paid the ransom against sin and death.
14The second woe has passed. Behold, the third woe is coming shortly. 15Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.” 16And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,… Revelation 11: 14-16
I kept the matter in my heart - Aspects of this were troubling, there were holocausts and the times of the gentiles were filled with violence and unrest. God's chosen would be put to the test, and not all would walk out of the furnace, some would die there. It is a lot to take in.
Lehman Strauss applies this passage writing that "Deep soul exercise should follow every revelation we receive from God. May our Lord grant to each of us an earnest desire to hide His Word in our hearts, as did Mary (Luke 2:19). Peter wrote that one of the purposes of studying prophecy is "that ye take heed… in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:19)." (Lehman Strauss Commentary – The Prophecies of Daniel)
…10With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments. 11I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You. 12Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me Your statutes.… Psalm 119: 10-12
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