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Chapter 7:15-28 (ESV) - “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. 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. ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’
“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, 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. As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 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.
“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.
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.
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.
But the court shall sit in judgment,
and his dominion shall be taken away,
to be consumed and destroyed to the end.
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.’
“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.”
Question to consider: What assurance did the angel give Daniel to calm his anxious thoughts?
There are a number of differing views on the fulfillment of this passage, but regardless of your preference, the most important takeaway from this passage was stated by the angel, “These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.”
Daniel had great anxiety thinking of this future for Israel, but he could rest in knowing that the outcome would be that the saints would ultimately receive the kingdom from the Most High and possess it forever. Or as Jesus taught, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) How would they receive this kingdom? Through the one like a Son of Man who would ascend on the clouds to the right hand of the Ancient of Days.
In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he saw these kingdoms as a beautiful image of the pinnacle of man which would be crushed by a mysterious stone sent from the gods. However, in Daniel’s dream, the kingdoms were not beautiful, but ravenous, lowly beasts. Their kingdoms would be consumed and destroyed, and dominion would be given to the people of God— the saints.
As for the fourth beast, it definitely described the cruelty and power of Rome. The ten kings were interpreted by Luther to be the kingdoms that made up the Roman Empire: Syria, Egypt, Asia [Minor], Greece, [North] Africa, Spain, Gaul, Italy, Germany, England (Euan K. Cameron, “Preface to Daniel,” in The Interpretation of Scripture, ed. Euan K. Cameron et al., vol. 6, The Annotated Luther [Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1530], 391.)
I think that’s as good an explanation as any. However, he viewed the horn that “made war with the saints” as “Mohammed or the Turk who now holds Egypt, Asia, and Greece” (ibid) He believed that because the text only referred to the falling of three horns, Islam would not extend beyond these three countries. Obviously, Islam has extended far beyond those three countries, but it is possible those were the three horns that fell.
While I hold to the Lutheran Confessions in all matters concerning the essential doctrines of the faith, Luther and I would have had some disagreements in regard to the time in which the works of the apostle John were penned which would affect our view of prophetic fulfillments. Personally, I believe the entire canon of scripture was completed before the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, and that much of the prophetic visions were fulfilled in Christ’s life, death, and heavenly reign and described the end of the temple age in AD 70. I align with the Apostles Creed in declaring that we are still awaiting Christ to return to judge the living and the dead.
Considering that the main focus of Daniel was to reveal the mystery of the eternal rule of Christ, I think we should look for evidence of its fulfillment during the generation in which Christ was born. With that said, it is difficult to discern the ten kings. There were eleven kings from the birth of Jesus (Augustus) until the end of what may be considered the war against the saints (Domitian). From this perspective, the judgment of the Ancient of Days would be the final destruction of the Jerusalem temple. There were 3 horns that fell in succession right before this time: Galba, Othos, and Vitellius. After Caesar Nero committed suicide, these three all rose and fell in AD 69. Vespasian was a commander of the Roman army who was made emperor in AD 70 and led the destruction. As an outsider, he could have been the little horn that grew in power and was distinct from the other ten. However, this is just one possibility and should not be something that causes people to divide.
Dear heavenly Father, help us to keep our focus on Christ Jesus and glorify Him as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Thank You for preserving enough ancient history to give us confidence in Christ’s work to fulfill the Law and pay for our sins. Amen.