⁸ “I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words. ⁹ I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; ¹⁰ A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened. ¹¹ I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. ¹² As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. ¹³ I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him.”

7:8

I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.

An eleventh horn came from the ten horns.  This horn ousted three of the ten horns.  This figure is the Antichrist (Mt 24:5,15; 2 Th 2:3-4; 1 Jn 2:18; 4:3; Re 13; 17; 19).  The “eyes” suggest personal magnetism and genius.  This “little” horn is the dictator of Revelation 13, 17 and 2 Thessalonians 2.

This “little” horn is not a nation in himself but a representative of the three nations.  He and his party become so powerful that they take over three of the ten nations of the Revived Roman Empire.  By plucking them up “from the roots,” his conquest is total defeat of the three horns.

7;9

I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;

This verse begins a poetic style (vv. 9-10; 13-14).  Poetry situates these verses separately as distinct.  Daniel saw thrones established (cf. Re 1:4; 20:4).

The “Ancient of Days” is God the Father ruling on His throne eternally.  God, the Father, judges in absolute purity and flaming judgment.

7:10

A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened.

A “fiery stream” flowed from before the throne like lava.  This represents judgment from God’s court.

7:11

I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame.

Daniel returns to prose in this verse to show his personal observation of the destruction of the little horn.  The destruction of this little horn is the end of Gentile world power, or “the times of the Gentiles” (Lu 21:24, 27).

7:12

As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

The previous three empires were protracted beyond the conquering of their empires.  Aspects of their kingdoms continued beyond their defeat.  The fourth empire will not continue beyond its defeat.  There will be a completely new kingdom after the fourth empire (cf. Re 19:19-20).

7:13

I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him.

Returning to poetry, Daniel introduces the kingdom of the “Son of Man” (7:13-14).  A person “like the Son of Man” came in “clouds of heaven” before the Ancient of Days.  The angelic attendants ushered him into the presence of the Ancient of Days.

The title “Son of Man” implies identity with humanity.  The idea may be that this is the God-man.  The gospels use the title “son of man” for Jesus (Mark 8:31; Jn 1:51).  Jesus used this title of Himself (Matthew uses this title 31 times alone).  This is why this verse is the most frequently quoted verse from Daniel in the New Testament.

The New Testament portrays Jesus as coming in the clouds (Mt 24:30; Mark 13:26; Ac 1:9; 1 Th 4:17; Re 1:7, 9).

PRINCIPLE:

The Second Coming of Christ will resolve all the problems with national entities in the world.

APPLICATION:

Jesus will come in the consummation of the ages.  He will destroy the carnivorous nation beasts and the final Antichrist.  This will be a cataclysmic catastrophe.  He will come to judge the nations of the world.

Jn 5:22-23, “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”

The United Nation’s headquarters in New York City has a portion from Isaiah adorned on a marble wall which reads, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (2:4).  However, they conveniently left off the first part of the verse that reads, “And He [God] shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people.”  They left off the only means whereby the latter part of the verse can be achieved.  World peace will not come by the human efforts of the United Nations but by the supernatural intervention of God.