Bible Passage Scripture Block

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; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.

He will blaspheme God and persecute the saints of God, thinking he can change the times and the law. For a period of time he will have dominion over the saints of God, but it will end in heavenly judgment and he will be destroyed in the end when God’s saints are given the kingdom and dominion over all. Their kingdom will be everlasting and all dominions will be subject to them.

Daniel is documenting a dream/vision he as had in the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon. It is of four beasts (or empires – vss 17, 23) coming from the sea: one like a lion, another like a bear, a third like a leopard, and a fourth different from the others but with ten horns. Assuming that this “fourth kingdom” would have to Rome (Daniel lived during the Babylonian (1st), then the Medo-Persian (2nd), then followed Greece (3rd), and finally the Roman empire (4th)), a possible outline and explanation for the chapter follow:

• Rome’s rulers which are represented by horns (7:24) are full of great boasts and blasphemies (7:8).
• Eventually, this beast (Rome) would be slain and burnt – a prophecy of its destruction (7:11) — appears to connect with John’s vision in Revelation 19.
• However, before its final destruction, it is granted a reprieve for a period of time (7:12), during which the Son of Man (Jesus) goes before the Ancient of Days (God, the Father) and receives a kingdom that will not be destroyed (7:13-14).
• The saints of God (Christians) will receive and possess that kingdom (7:18).
• Then a really wicked ruler would arise, gaining power by destroying three of his predecessors (7:24).
• During his reign, Christians would be persecuted for a short period of time (7:25), but eventually, God would bring judgment on the ruler and God’s people would reign (7:26-27) – which appears to connect with Revelation 20:4-6.