When many people think of the Book of Daniel they immediately think of the account of Daniel in the lion’s den, or of his three friends being thrown into the fiery furnace and coming out unharmed. Those are certainly the most familiar parts of the Book of Daniel. However the majority of the book contains prophetic visions Daniel had, or interpretation of dreams that he gave of future events, particularly end-time events. Today’s portion of Scripture from the Book of Daniel is one such passage. It reveals the heavenly courtroom where God, the Ancient of Days, will judge the kingdoms of men, and will grant everlasting dominion to the Messiah, the Son of Man, who is clearly identified in the New Testament as Jesus Christ. Let’s see what God’s Word has to say.
Chapter 7 begins with describing a dream and visions that Daniel had. First he described four Gentile empires which would come. Then, as our portion of Scripture describes, the vision moves from earth to heaven, where God will judge these kingdoms, and establish His own. This Scripture gives a divine perspective on world history - that human empires rise and fall, but God’s kingdom is eternal.
As our Scripture begins, Daniel had a vision of God seated on His throne as the divine Judge (vs. 9-10). Daniel used the name “Ancient of Days”, a name for God the Father which is found only in the Book of Daniel. This name emphasizes His eternality. The white hair symbolizes God’s wisdom, and His white clothes show His purity and holiness. His fiery throne shows God’s majesty and authority. A fiery stream comes forth from God’s throne. When we read of fire in the Bible, it often symbolizes judgment (Hebrews 12:29), purity, and holiness. Surrounding God’s throne of judgment are multiple thousands of angels.
The books of judgment are brought to God and opened. God keeps a record of all that we as individuals do, and also what the nations do. His judgment is deliberate, righteous, and final. Later, in another book of the Bible which describes end-time events we read of the Great White Throne judgment where all mankind is judged (Revelation 20:11-12). However, here we are focused on the judgment of world empires. God is the sovereign Judge over all nations. No empire will escape His scrutiny. Everyone will be held accountable.
As we read on, we read about the fourth beast, which will be the ruler of the final Gentile empire before the Lord’s return (vs. 11-12). This leader will have immense power in the world, and speak boldly and pompously. However, this ungodly world leader’s destruction will be sudden and final. He will be toppled and destroyed, not by any human effort, but by divine intervention. We see that all human kingdoms, no matter how big or powerful, are only temporary. God’s kingdom alone is eternal.
Daniel moves on in describing the vision he had, speaking about the Son of Man (vs. 13-14). This is not an angel, nor merely a human. This is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, in His glorified humanity. Jesus used this title for Himself more than any other, over eighty times in the Gospels. He is described as “coming with the clouds of heaven.” The Bible has frequently described God and the Lord Jesus as being surrounded by clouds, accompanying His presence (Psalm 104:3; Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7).
This is not describing the Second Coming of Jesus to earth. This is His heavenly coronation, where He receives authority from the Father. Some parallel passages that also describe this are Psalm 2:6-9; Psalm 110:1; Matthew 28:18; and Revelation 5:6-14. We see that the Lord Jesus will receive absolute authority and dominion, divine honor and glory, and a literal, earthly, and everlasting kingdom.
There are several characteristics of Jesus’ kingdom. First, it is a universal kingdom, with people from all nations and languages. It is also an indestructible kingdom, which shall not pass away. Finally, Daniel described it as an eternal kingdom that shall not be destroyed. This part of the prophetic vision will be fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 20:1-6), and then in the Eternal State (Revelation 21-22). Jesus Christ is the rightful King of all creation. His kingdom is literal, future, and everlasting.
As we close our study in Daniel 7, we should keep in mind that even when world events seem chaotic, as they certainly were in Daniel’s day, we must remember that God is on the throne. Daniel lived under pagan empires, yet he remained faithful, and so must we. We can endure suffering, knowing that Jesus will reign, and His justice will prevail. We know that Jesus is our Savior, but we must also remember that He is the eternal King who deserves our obedience and our reverence. Since Jesus is the coming Judge and King, we should do our best to warn others, inviting them to trust in Him now.
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