Verse 23: “And thus he said to me: ‘The fourth beast is the fourth kingdom that will be in the earth. It will be different from all other kingdoms, and it will devour all the earth – it is going to tread down and destroy it (the earth).”

Fourth kingdom: This is a kingdom that is going to be global in nature -ruling over all the people of the earth.

It will be different: It is satanic in nature. satan has certainly had his hand in all of the empires (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon etc). They have all been evil, and all have been in opposition to the things of God. However, this last one is unique in that it is going to be led by the antichrist -who will, in a distorted manner, be like satan incarnate (satan in the flesh). This final empire is going to be
the epitome of evil. It is going to possess a demonic force and is going to be able to do signs and wonders for the purpose of deceiving the world (Revelation 13:13-14)

Devour all the earth: Another clear indication that this is going to be a worldwide empire.

 
Verse 24: “The ten horns, from this kingdom that will rise up, are ten kings. And another shall rise after them; he will be different from those who preceded him, and he will cause to fall three kings.”

Ten horns…ten kings: See Revelation 17:12-14 and commentary on Daniel 7:20. A ten nation confederacy is going to be established.
Another shall rise after them: The antichrist is going to rise up from within this confederacy.

He will cause to fall three kings: He is going to remove three of the kings (rulers) in that alliance, leaving it with seven leaders (displaying a false/counterfeit holiness).

 
Verse 25: “He spoke great things against the Most High, and he afflicted the saints of the Most High. And he will consider to change the times and judgment (law). Then the saints will be given into his hand for a time, times and a half time.”

He spoke things against the Most High: This is a great example of progressive revelation. In Daniel 7:11 we were simply told that he spoke great things, but now we are told specifically that he is speaking these words against God, the Most High.

Change the times: He will want to change the Biblical calendar – God’s appointed times. He will want to get rid of the Biblical festivals, as they are festivals of revelation (God teaches us principles through these times).

Time, times, and a half time: 3.5 years. For the most part of these 3.5 years, the antichrist will be free, with very limitation, to do what he wants to do without much opposition from God.

 
Verse 26: “And the house of judgment will be seated, and his (the antichrist’s) kingdom will be removed from him. It will be destroyed, and he will perish forever.”

The house of judgment (the court) will be seated: The antichrist will be allowed to carry on to a point and then God is going to take His judgment. This evil empire does not continue indefinitely, but rules for a relatively short period of time.

 
Verse 27: “And the kingdoms, and the governments and the great things of the kingdoms of this world, all under the heavens, will be given to the people of the saints of the Most High. His Kingdom shall be a Kingdom forever, and all governments will worship and obey Him (Messiah).”

His Kingdom: The outcome of God’s judgement will be the establishment of His Kingdom. If we are not aware of this, and if we are not prepared for this (equipped by the Holy Spirit), then we are not going to be praying properly. This will lead to a lack of faithlessness in the last days. This does not mean that the believers have to go through this entire seven-year period. We will only be in this world until just before the wrath of God falls (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

 
Verse 28: “This is the end of the matter. And I, Daniel, was thinking and I was greatly disturbed, and the appearance of my face changed. This thing was in my heart, and I kept it.”

Greatly disturbed: Daniel knows that his people (both the Jewish people who are connected to him by blood, but also the believers – who are connected to him through faith) are going to have to go through hard times.

In my heart: The Bible tells us that a man thinks in his heart (Proverbs 23:7). Daniel kept these things in his heart – this means that he thought about them continuously. Like Daniel, this should be a foundational principle for us. We need to constantly be keeping these same things, about the last days, in our heart. 

If we are not interested in the last days, and if prophecy is not
important to us, then we are going to have the wrong perspective and understanding of what is going to happen before Messiah comes to establish His Kingdom. This is going to lead to us being ill-prepared (physically and spiritually) for the things we are going to need to face before that day