Daniel 7:1–28

TABLE 1.8: Years and Locations of the Visions of Daniel 7–12

Since the content of chapter 7 most closely matches the vision in chapter 2, it is worth considering how the remaining visions of the book (chs. 8–12) relate to each other. The visions in chapter 8 and in chapters 10–12 seem to form a frame around chapter 9 in an A-B-A' pattern:

1. A. Daniel 8
   1. B. Daniel 9
2. A'. Daniel 10–12

This chiasm is evident as the visions in chapter 8 and in chapters 10–12 address Medo-Persia and Greece and are narrower in scope than the visions in chapters 2 and 7 (which address four kingdoms). Also separating chapters 8–12 from chapter 7 is their language: chapters 8–12 are in Hebrew, while chapter 7 is in Aramaic. Thus, not only do the Aramaic chapters form a chiasm (2–7), but the Hebrew vision-chapters form a chiasm as well (8–12).¹

Chapter 7 does double duty by both completing the Aramaic section of the book (chs. 2–7) and transitioning to the exclusively visionary portion (chs. 7–12). This placement suggests it may be the book’s most important chapter. Moreover, when all of the visions and riddles of the book are laid out (chs. 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10–12), they are seven in number, with chapter 7 in the center. This chapter has been described as “the key to understanding the major themes that run throughout the book.”² In the canonical sweep of Scripture, the significance of Daniel 7 is evident in the frequency with which the NT characters/writers make reference to it.³

TABLE 1.9: The Four Beasts of Daniel 7

7:4 The first beast was “like a lion and had eagles’ wings.” These beasts are not normal animals but composites of multiple creatures. Since chapters 2 and 7 put forward a series of four kings/empires symbolized by metals and animals (respectively), this first beast must represent Babylon and, most specifically, Nebuchadnezzar.

In other OT passages, Nebuchadnezzar was compared to a lion (Jer. 4:7; 50:17) and the Babylonian armies to eagles (Lam. 4:19; Ezek. 17:3; Hab. 1:8), so in Daniel 7:4 the use of “lion” and “eagle” is consistent with terminology used to describe Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon. These images denote predators who can overcome their prey.

As Daniel beheld the eagle-winged lion, three actions took place: “Its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it.” The passive verbs suggest divine action, and the three events evoke chapter 4, where King Nebuchadnezzar was given the mind of a beast for a time (4:16, 33); when the allotted punishment was fulfilled, God restored his normal mind (v. 34).³

7:5 From the chaotic waters rose a second beast, “like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’” If the first metal (gold) and animal (a winged lion) both refer to Babylon in chapters 2 and 7, then the second animal most reasonably corresponds to the second metal—Medo-Persia.

In the interpretation of Daniel’s vision (7:15–28), nothing is made of the bear and rib imagery of verse 5, but the ferocious nature of the beast is clear by the description of its prey’s ribs sticking out of its mouth.⁴ The bear has already devoured, and it is told to devour more. Just as the passive verbs in verse 4 suggested divine action, so also is the command in verse 5 from God. The Medo-Persian Empire was God’s instrument for judgment on Babylon and deliverance of his exiled people. The bear would discover how Babylon tasted!

7:6 Daniel’s gaze shifted to a third beast, which looked “like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it.” This winged four-headed leopard represented the empire that followed Medo-Persia: the Greeks. The “wings of a bird,” as in verse 4, probably represented swiftness. Led by Alexander the Great, the Greeks indeed conquered swiftly.

In the interpretation of the vision (vv. 15–28), the angel does not interpret the meaning of the four heads, so ultimately interpreters cannot be certain. In any case, God’s sovereignty is clear once more, as “dominion was given to it.” Alexander began his conquest of Persia in 334 BC and in one decade had established a vast empire. The four heads of the leopard may suggest this vast dominance.⁵

Lion, bear, and leopard imagery also appears in Hosea’s prophetic ministry to the northern kingdom of Israel. God used those animal comparisons to describe his judgment on Israel: “I am to them like a lion; like a leopard I will lurk beside the way. I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs; I will tear open their breast, and there I will devour them like a lion, as a wild beast would rip them open” (Hos. 13:7–8). Pagan empires operate under the sovereign rule of God, who raises up and brings down, and his purposes include judgment—even if pagan empires are his unwitting instruments. God’s sovereignty is not contingent on their consent.

7:7–8 The fourth beast receives almost as much attention as the first three beasts combined, and Daniel and the angel focus on this beast in the interpretation section as well (vv. 19–27). If preceding empires in chapters 2 and 7 were Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece, then the fourth beast (7:7–8) corresponded to the fourth metal (2:33, 40–43) and thus represented Rome.

The other composite animals (a winged lion, a bear with ribs in its teeth, a winged four-headed leopard) were menacing in Daniel’s descriptions, but he highlighted the ferocious nature of the fourth beast even more: “Behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet.” This depiction recalls the fourth part of the man of metals in chapter 2, representing a kingdom as “strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these” (2:40). The similarity of 7:7 to 2:40 further confirms a correspondence between the two visions. As one commentator wrote, “Rome showed itself to be the first truly universal empire of antiquity. Rome was characterized by its conquering and crushing power and by its ability to consolidate the territories which it seized.”⁶

Daniel described the fourth beast as “different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.” This description surpasses those of the previous beasts, who were not pictured as having horns.⁷ The makeup of this beast also incorporates language used for the previous three. It had feet (7:7), like the first (v. 4); it had something plucked (v. 8), like the first (v. 4); it had teeth (v. 7), like the second (v. 5); it devoured (v. 7), like the second (v. 5); and it exercised relentless dominion (v. 7), like the third (v. 6).

As Daniel considered the “ten horns” of the beast, “There came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots” (v. 8). This activity is not paralleled by any previous beast (cf. vv. 4–6) nor by any explicit iron/clay connection in chapter 2 (cf. 2:33, 40–43).⁸ This little horn had “eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.” The first beast was given the mind of a man (7:4), while this fourth beast has the eyes and speech of one. If the beast was truly as fearsome as Daniel described, then the “great things” the little horn was “speaking” were surely alarming. We will consider interpretations of this “little” horn during the exposition of verses 15–28.

7:9–10 After the stirred sea and rising monsters, Daniel’s vision shifted to heaven, where “thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat.” It will be clear in verse 10 that this is a judgment scene in which Daniel will see a divine response to the little horn. In verses 9–12, the Ancient of Days sat down to render judgment (vv. 9–10), the beast was destroyed (v. 11), and the other beasts’ dominion was taken away (v. 12).

The thrones were for the Ancient of Days and for the soon-to-appear son of man (v. 13). The title “Ancient of Days” refers to God and denotes his eternality. He wore clothing as white as snow and his hair was like pure wool, which conveys purity and wisdom. As righteous judge he sat on his throne of “fiery flames,” with wheels of “burning fire” (cf. Ezek. 1:15–21). This description seems to portray God’s throne as a chariot; chariots were used by rulers in the ancient Near East as vehicles of conquest and victory. The little horn may have been “speaking great things” (Dan. 7:8), but the Ancient of Days would soon conquer (v. 11). From his fiery throne-chariot “a stream of fire issued and came out from before him.” This flame-stream represented holy judgment pouring forth from the throne.

Daniel next described those surrounding this scene: “A thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him” (v. 10). These were probably angels, functioning here as heavenly worshipers. Daniel was trying not to be numerically precise but to indicate their innumerability.

As the angels stood in the presence of the judge, “The court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.” This language confirms that the Ancient of Days sat on his fiery chariot-throne for the purpose of rendering a righteous judgment from the heavenly courtroom. The “books” were most likely the record of deeds spoken of elsewhere in Scripture (cf. Ex. 32:32–33; Pss. 56:8; 69:28; 139:16). God knows perfectly the deeds of everyone, including the wicked little horn and the other beasts.

7:11 As this scene was taking place, Daniel heard “the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking.” At the same time, “The beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire.” This action reflects a fulfillment of the judgment rendered from the throne, from which the stream of fire had poured forth (vv. 9–10).

7:12 Not only did God judge the little horn, he also removed dominion from the other beasts. God is sovereign, and he may give or take away dominion whenever he chooses. “Rest of the beasts” may be a reference to the “ten horns,” since in verse 11 it appears that a horn can also be considered a “beast” in an individual sense. If this is true, then God judged both the little horn (“the beast”; v. 11) and the other ten horns (“the rest of the beasts”; v. 12). It is plausible, however, that in light of the opening verses of chapter 7, the “rest of the beasts” are the three that rose from the sea in verses 4–6 and the “beast” killed in verse 11 is the “fourth beast” (v. 7).

In favor of viewing “the rest of the beasts” as individuals constituting the larger corporate fourth beast is that “their lives were prolonged for a season and a time” (v. 12).⁹ Even though the little horn was judged in a way that implied his destruction (cf. v. 11), the “rest of the beasts” (the “ten horns” in the interpretation suggested here) were not immediately destroyed in like manner. “A season and a time,” while not precise, suggests the temporariness of their prolonged lives.

7:13 In Daniel’s night vision, “with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.” This figure is described with a simile (“like a son of man”), as were the four beasts (vv. 4–8). The phrase “son of man” recalls passages like Psalm 8:3–4, where the creation story is evoked, in particular the creation of man (cf. Gen. 1:26–31; 2:7). The psalmist addresses God, stating that he created man

a little lower than the heavenly beings

and crowned him with glory and honor.

You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under his feet. (Ps. 8:5–6)

The phrase “son of man” should be understood against this backdrop—just as Adam was given dominion over the beasts (Gen. 1:26–28), so was this son of man. He came to the Ancient of Days (Dan. 7:13) to receive dominion over everything (v. 14)—even the beasts (vv. 4–8)!—and his dominion would be everlasting, whereas theirs was temporary. This “one” who “came to the Ancient of Days” was like a new Adam.

He came “with the clouds of heaven,” denoting glory and deity (cf. Ps. 18:11–14; Isa. 19:1; Ezek. 32:7–8; Joel 2:1–2; Nah. 1:2–8; Zeph. 1:14–15). In the OT, God’s presence in a cloud denoted glory, judgment, and vindication. So when “one like a son of man” came “with the clouds of heaven” to the “Ancient of Days,” the scene as a whole denoted both glory and deity.

7:14 To the one like a son of man “was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.” The dominion was total and would never be revoked: “His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

This connection of “one like a son of man” to a “kingdom” parallels chapter 2, where “a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces” (2:34), and “the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (2:35). This stone represented “a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever” (2:44). In both chapter 2 and chapter 7, four temporary earthly kingdoms are followed by God’s everlasting kingdom, and thus the “stone” of 2:34–35 is paralleled by the “one like a son of man” of 7:13.

Daniel 7:13–14 constitutes one of the most important passages for authors of the NT. In the Gospels, Jesus took his most-used title, “Son of Man,” from this passage.

7:15 Framed by admissions of alarm (vv. 15, 28), Daniel received brief interpretation from an angel (vv. 16–18), desired to know more about the fourth beast and its horns (vv. 19–22), and heard the angel elaborate on these aspects of the vision (vv. 23–27). First, Daniel confessed his anxious spirit (v. 15). The beasts from the sea were frightening enough, and apparently the heavenly judgment scene and the one like a son of man did nothing to relieve Daniel’s fear. Indeed, the fiery throne-chariot and the figure coming “with the clouds of heaven” may have overwhelmed him with their majesty and glory. Daniel’s fearful response echoes the earlier reactions of Nebuchadnezzar (2:1, 3; 4:5) and Belshazzar (5:6).

7:16 Unlike in chapters 2, 4, and 5, in chapter 7 Daniel must seek out an interpretation for his own vision. He approached “one of those who stood there,” probably an angel among the countless host who were serving the Ancient of Days, and “asked him the truth concerning all this.” These angels “stood before” God (v. 10), and the one Daniel approached remains unnamed, although 9:21 probably helps readers in hindsight to identify him as Gabriel. When Daniel asked for the truth concerning the visions, the angel provided an interpretation.

7:17 Though the angel’s words in verses 17–18 are not elaborate, they distill the main point of the monsters in the sea (v. 17) and the judgment and vindication in heaven (v. 18). The four great beasts were four kings who would arise. This summarizes the point of verses 1–8 and confirms that a “beast” could function in either a corporate or an individual sense. “Out of the earth” confirms their human nature. Understood in parallel with chapter 2, these “four kings” would be part of kingdoms in a certain order. Since each of the kingdoms would have more than one king as future events unfolded, the reference to “four kings” indicates that one king from each kingdom was particularly in view (table 1.10).

TABLE 1.10: Kings and Kingdoms of Daniel 2 and 7

7:18 The angel’s interpretation summarized the point of the heavenly courtroom vision (vv. 9–14). The angel spoke of a kingdom that would be possessed forever, specifying “the saints of the Most High” as the ones who “shall receive” it. Unexpectedly, the singular “one like a son of man” who possessed the kingdom in verses 13–14 is now replaced by the plural “saints” in verse 18. Thus Daniel saw the actualization of the vindication of God’s people. The kingdoms of the world were conquered, and God’s people had received an everlasting kingdom and would exercise dominion like Adam, whose creation mandate they still stewarded.

As the NT writers demonstrate by quoting Jesus’ self-description as the “Son of Man” (Matt. 8:20; 9:6; 24:30; cf. Rev. 1:7, 13), the “saints” of Daniel 7:18 do not completely fulfill Daniel’s vision of “one like a son of man” in verse 13. That figure “came to the Ancient of Days” and did so “with the clouds of heaven,” an encounter and status fit for deity. Furthermore, “all peoples, nations, and languages” would “serve” the “one like a son of man,” and since no mere human is worthy of worship, only a divine person could warrant and rightly command this global homage.

Just as Jesus is the stone of chapter 2 that will inaugurate God’s everlasting kingdom, so he is the Son of Man who will be given authority over all things and an everlasting dominion that “shall not pass away” (7:14). In God’s wise redemptive plan, believers are also stones used by God to build a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5), as well as “one like a son of man” who will receive God’s everlasting kingdom. In the light of progressive and canonical revelation, it becomes clear that only in union with the last Adam can the saints faithfully and truly exercise their God-assigned dominion. Because the Son of Man possessed the kingdom, the saints shall possess it forever as well.

7:19–20 In verses 19–22, Daniel specified what he wanted to know more about: the fourth beast, the ten horns, and the “other horn” (vv. 19–20), as well as what the other horn did that led to its judgment (vv. 21–22). Daniel’s language about the fourth beast echoes verses 7–8, for in verse 19 he described it as “different from all the rest,” “exceedingly terrifying,” having “teeth of iron,” and a beast “which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet” (cf. v. 7). Not found in the earlier vision of the turbulent sea, however, is the detail about the fourth beast’s “claws of bronze,” a detail observed only in verse 19. The order of teeth, claws, and feet in verse 19 correspond to the verbs of devouring, breaking, and stamping, respectively. The fourth beast was ferocious and altogether terrible.

Daniel desired to know not only about the fourth beast but also about “the ten horns that were on its head” (v. 20; cf. v. 8). He wanted more information about “the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell,” which was the horn with the eyes and mouth (cf. v. 8). In verse 8 he had said that “three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots,” but in verse 20 he observed that “three of them fell” before the little/other horn. To Daniel this horn “seemed greater than its companions” (v. 20), the other horns. The little horn seemed greater perhaps because it spoke great things or because three horns fell before it.

7:21–22 The greatness of the little horn was displayed amid war against God’s people. Since such opposition was not attributed to previous beasts, this probably explains Daniel’s focus on the fourth beast and its little horn. This horn opposed God’s people and appeared victorious—that is, “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” (v. 22). The “great things” the horn’s mouth was speaking (cf. vv. 8, 20) were probably blasphemous boasts that God would not tolerate.

The title “Ancient of Days” recalls the courtroom scene in which God took his seat to render judgment from his fiery throne-chariot (vv. 9–10). The destruction of the beast/horn (v. 11) meant vindication for God’s people, especially as they received the everlasting kingdom (vv. 13–14), and thus judgment on the little horn was on behalf of the saints as well. The horn had prevailed over the saints (v. 21), but now the Ancient of Days prevailed over the horn (v. 22).

7:23 The angel addressed the fourth beast (v. 23), the ten horns (v. 24), and the little horn’s blasphemous activity and divine judgment (vv. 25–27). The angel declared that the fourth beast (cf. vv. 7–8) “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.” Most of this information was not new, for what Daniel had seen (v. 19) indicated that the fourth beast was fearsome, destructive, and engaged in devouring and stamping. However, here the beast was said to “devour the whole earth,” denoting its vast dominion.

7:24 The angel then interpreted the ten horns: “Out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise.” The ten kings represent not ten different kingdoms but rulers within the same kingdom (Rome). However, scholars disagree whether “ten” is literal or symbolic.

Another horn would arise after these ten, “different from the former ones, . . . [to] put down three kings.” Since the horns represented kings, the other horn that arose surely represented a king as well. The text has stated that three kings were “put down” (v. 24), “fell” (v. 20), and “were plucked up by the roots” (v. 8). The different verbs make it challenging to conclude what happened to the kings, although the images suggest death by the little horn’s hand or decree.

7:25 At the center of the action of the fourth beast’s little horn was opposition to God and his people. The “mouth speaking great things” (vv. 8, 11, 20) blasphemed God, speaking “words against the Most High.” The title “Most High” or “Most High God” appeared earlier, in chapters 4 and 5 (4:17, 24, 25, 32, 34; 5:18, 21), which reported God’s judgments on Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, and now the appearance of “Most High” in chapter 7 is likewise in a context of judgment.

The notion of “wear[ing] out the saints” implies a longer period of trial for God’s people, a season requiring endurance and faithfulness. The little horn “shall think to change the times and the law,” which would affect God’s people negatively. “The times” may reflect Jewish festivals prescribed in “the law.” No matter how dire the situation seemed for God’s people, however, God remained sovereign, for the saints “shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time”; the passive verb suggests a divine act. The horn, like everything and everyone, remained subject to the Most High. The saints may have been in the hand of the horn, but the saints and the horn were both in the hand of God.

The specific period of opposition is much debated. If “time” equals one year, then “a time, times, and half a time” would denote three and a half years. Even if that were true, it is not certain whether the period should be taken literally or figuratively. What is clear in any case is that the blasphemous activity of the little horn had a divinely established expiration date.

7:26 The Most High judged the little horn. The angel declared, “The court shall sit in judgment,” referring to the Ancient of Days taking his seat on his fiery throne-chariot (vv. 9–10). The removal of dominion and statement of destruction recall the event of verse 11; God had granted dominion and then took it away.

7:27 God’s judgment on the little horn had implications for the saints, just as Daniel had seen in verse 22. The angel promised, “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.” Persecution would not be the last word for the saints! They would be vindicated, and their dominion would exceed that of any earthly beast. With a view toward fulfilling the creation mandate in Genesis 1, the saints would exercise dominion over everything “under the whole heaven.” This role of the saints does not undermine or exclude the greater rule of God Most High. In contrast to the previous beast kingdoms, God’s kingdom would be everlasting, “and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”

Having reached the end of the vision and its interpretation (Dan. 7:2–27), we should observe the seven subjects of the vision and how they were described by the angel in his interpretation. As is evident in table 1.11, some aspects of the vision were mentioned multiple times:

TABLE 1.11: The Seven Subjects of the Vision of Daniel 7

Since the metals in chapter 2 represented kingdoms in a certain order (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome), and since chapter 7 matches chapter 2, it is reasonable to compare the fourth elements of each chapter in order to interpret the vision’s details in light of later history, especially in light of how NT authors make use of texts from these chapters.

In Luke 20:17–18, Jesus understands himself to be the prophesied stone of Daniel 2:34. Jesus ministered, died, and was resurrected during the reign of Rome (the empire represented in the fourth part of the visions in chapters 2 and 7). But the promise in 2:35—“The stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth”—is still being completed, for all enemies are still being put in subjection to Christ, including the last enemy, death (1 Cor. 15:25–26). Jesus inaugurated the dominion/kingdom of God (Matt. 4:17), which has grown over time (cf. Matt. 13:31–33). The fulfillment of Daniel 2, then, did not occur in an instant in Jesus’ ministry. Instead, his ministry introduced an already-but-not-yet reality to be consummated at his return. All the while, God’s kingdom remains everlasting.

Jesus’ most common self-description was “Son of Man,” alluding to Daniel 7 (e.g., Matt. 8:20; 9:6). He alluded to Daniel 7:13 when telling the high priest, “I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matt. 26:64). Jesus was the “one like a son of man” from Daniel 7:13, and thus he would receive everlasting dominion and authority. This is reflected in his post-resurrection words to his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). Later he ascended to the Father, where he sat down at God’s right hand until his enemies were made his footstool (cf. Heb. 1:13). This Jesus, the risen and enthroned Son of God, reigns now.

When John sees a vision of Jesus in Revelation 1:12–18, he describes him using the same kind of language used for the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7:9–10 (cf. Rev. 1:14), because the Father and the Son are divine persons, and thus what can be said of the Father in this case can be said also of the Son. When John writes of a heavenly throne scene in Revelation 5, he declares that the Lion of the tribe of Judah “has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals” (Rev. 5:5), and when John looks, he sees “a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain” (v. 6). This triumphant Christ came to the one on the throne and took the scroll (v. 7), and rejoicing commenced (vv. 8–14). Like the scene in Daniel 7:10, there were multitudes of angels around the throne, ascribing power and might to Jesus (Rev. 5:11–12). John depicts the scene in Revelation 5 using the imagery of Daniel 7 to convey that the “one like a son of man” (Dan. 7:13) has received authority by taking the scroll from the Ancient of Days.

The triumph of Christ is good news for God’s people. In one sense, the saints receive the kingdom through their union with Christ, for Paul teaches that they are heirs of all things with Christ (Rom. 8:16–17; Gal. 4:4–7; Eph. 1:11–14; 3:6). As true children of Abraham and thus children of the promise, believers will inherit the world (Rom. 4:13–17). Yet, as we survey the world around us and recognize the persistent unglorified state of our bodies and the manifold effects of the curse on creation, it is clear we have not received all that has been promised. The victorious stone that becomes a mountain, the Son of Man who subjects his enemies, is operating and reigning between inauguration and consummation. Nonetheless, what John heard about the Lamb in the throne room is true now: “You were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:9–10).

Daniel was not given enough information to know the identity of the fourth beast, its ten horns, or the little horn, but later Scripture may shed some light on this question. In Revelation 13 a beast rises out of the sea “with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads” (Rev. 13:1).¹⁰ Note the presence of ten horns and the tone of blasphemy associated with this “beast.” John even describes it with animal characteristics: “The beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth” (Rev. 13:2). These animals allude to Daniel 7:4–6, with John naming the animals in reverse order. John (like Daniel) then gives attention to its mouth: “The beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months” (Rev. 13:5; cf. Dan. 7:8, 11, 20). Even the period of time—“forty-two months”—matches the “time, times, and half a time” of Daniel 7:25 if a single “time” equals one year, because forty-two months equal three and a half years. During this time the beast “was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them” (Rev. 13:7), recalling the terrible opposition inflicted on the saints by the little horn (Dan. 7:21, 25).

If John wrote the Apocalypse before AD 70, the little horn may have been Nero or perhaps Vespasian. If John wrote his Apocalypse after 70, then perhaps Domitian was the little horn; or, if the referent was not to a first-century figure, perhaps a future antichrist may yet embody the title and deeds of the little horn. In addition, parts of the vision and interpretation in Daniel 7 may have combined future events that, as history unfolds, are separated and fulfilled in stages of inauguration, interim, and consummation. At the end of Revelation, John reports seeing a future day when God will sit in judgment of everyone (Rev. 20:11–15). Ultimately any earthly judgment on an earthly kingdom (such as Rome) is but a foreshadowing of the final day of the Lord, when eternal states will be dispensed. Any judgment on God’s enemies (such as the little horn) anticipates the day when God will cast the dragon, who is behind earthly opposition to Christ and his people (Rev. 12:3, 17; 13:2), into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).

7:28 After recording the angelic interpreter’s words, Daniel wrote, “Here is the end of the matter,” forming an inclusio with the beginning of the chapter (v. 1) and signaling the completion of what he had seen and heard. In accord with the fearsome nature of the beast and the terror the saints would endure, he admits, “My thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.” Despite being informed that the saints would be vindicated and God’s kingdom would be established, Daniel still feared, and his alarm was evident in his discoloration. (This response forms an inclusio with the beginning of the interpretation section; cf. v. 15.) Both the vision and its interpretation had left Daniel deeply unsettled, but he continued to ponder what he saw and what the angel said (cf. Luke 2:19).