It is an absolute necessity that we understand who Messiah is – not just His name, but also His character, i.e. that He is divine. In this section we deal with a very important Messianic prophecy – one that gives us facts concerning the divinity of Messiah. God the Father’s judgment is going to be poured out in this world by the Lamb – that is by Messiah. 

Verse 13: “I was looking at these night visions. And behold with the clouds of heaven came One who looked like the Son of Man. He came unto the Ancient of Days and was brought before Him.”

Night visions: Written in the plural. Daniel had several visions, and this is one of them.

With the clouds of heaven came One: This is not talking about Yeshua’s second coming (when He comes again to judge the empires of the world), but is talking about Him ascending in the clouds and being brought before God the Father (Acts 1:9-11)

Son of Man: This is a prophetic term. Daniel and Ezekiel were also both called ‘son of man’ (Daniel 8:17, Ezekiel 2:3 etc). Both Daniel and Ezekiel spoke about the glory of heaven coming to earth – i.e. the establishment of the Kingdom of God, of which Messiah is the key. He is the One who is going to establish the Kingdom of God.

Ancient of Days: God the Father

Verse 14: “A rule and honour and a Kingdom were given to Him; and all peoples, nations and languages will worship Him. His Kingdom will be an everlasting Kingdom, and His rule will never be removed from Him. It will not end.”

Rule: A government, or a kingdom.

A Kingdom: Two different words for ‘rule’ or ‘kingdom’ are used in this passage.

Given to Him: God the Son being brought before God the Father was for the purpose of inheritance.

Worship: (?? ? ?? ?? (This passage was written in Aramaic. Aramaic words are different to Hebrew words. If this passage had been written in Hebrew the word ? ???????, which means ‘to serve’, ‘to work’, ‘to worship,’ would have been used. If this had been the case we could not dogmatically have said that all people, nations, and languages would worship Him – we would have had to say
that they would serve Him, and this does not necessarily have religious connotations attached to it. However, the Aramaic word that was used had to be translated into the Hebrew as ?? ? ?? ??.

Whenever this word is used it is always in reference to worship (both true or false worship). It is a word that has spiritual overtones to it, and is never used for someone physically serving another (like a servant serves his master). This is very clearly a word that speaks to the divinity of this Son of Man – Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ).

 
Verse 15: “And I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit and in the midst of me. I was in turmoil because of these visions of the night.”

I was in turmoil: Daniel was disturbed by what he had seen in regard to the empires – especially that last and blasphemous empire.

 
Verse 16: “I approached one of the ones standing there, the truth of this matter I desired from him concerning all of this. And he said to me that he would make known to me the interpretation of these things.”

One of the ones standing there: Most scholars believe this was an angel.

 
Verse 17 “These four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise up in the world.” Four…beasts: Four empires that, for the most part, rule over the whole world (four is a global number)

Verse 18: “And the saints of the Most High will receive a kingdom, and they will become strong in this kingdom forever, even forever and ever.”

The saints: The holy ones. There is a debate about who is being spoken about here. According to the book of Revelation, however, we believe that this is referring to the believers.

Note: This verse is a summary statement for the purpose of encouragement. God, in His wisdom, has given the saints (believers) a verse of hope and a promise of victory (good news) that they can cling to while they have to live through the time of trouble (the “bad news”).

 
Verse 19: “And I was seeking the truth concerning the fourth beast that was different from all the rest. He was exceedingly fearful. He had teeth of iron and claws of copper, and he was devouring and smashing all that remained.”

The fourth beast: This fourth beast was unique – different to all the beasts (empires) that preceded it. In Revelation 17:3 we read that John saw a beast with seven heads and ten horns. The angel then reveals to John (Revelation 17:9-10) that those seven heads are seven kingdoms (empires) that will rule over the world, in specific allotments, over certain periods of time. These
seven kingdoms are inter-related – i.e. they all have something in common.

When John wrote Revelation five of these kingdoms had already come and gone – Revelation 17:10 (namely: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medes &Persians, and the Greeks). One of these kingdoms (the Roman empire) was present at the time of John – “one is” refers to this sixth Roman empire. After the Roman empire there is a seventh empire that rises up – in a way very similar to the Roman (European) empire.

Note: Daniel’s four beasts relate to the last four empires – Babylon, Medes &Persians, Greek and Roman.

It is also interesting, and important, to note that John received a new and surprising revelation about this seventh empire. Out of the seventh empire (a European empire) an eighth empire (also European in origin – as will be seen further on in our study) is going to be birthed, for a very short period of time (Revelation 17:11-12). It is in this final, eighth, kingdom that the ten horns
reign (Revelation 17:12) Their purpose, in a unique way, is to be in opposition to the saints of the Most High.

 
Verse 20: “and concerning his ten horns that were on his head, and another horn that sprouted up, before which three (horns) were consumed because of him. And to this horn there were eyes and a mouth speaking great things, whose vision was greater than his friends.”

Ten horns: The number ten speaks of completion – that which is in its entirety. This beast will complete the beast empires. Its kingdom will be powerful and all encompassing.

Another horn: This is the final horn, the very last leader of the world empires. Also known as the antichrist.

Sprouted up: ‘Sprung forth’ (branch out). The word used here is oftentimes used in regard to Messiah (Zechariah 6:12)
Ten horns – three (horns) = 7 horns left. The number seven speaks of holiness. This empire is going to give the impression that it is holy, but this is going to be a false holiness.

Speaking great things: Revelation 13:5 tells us that these things (words) are blasphemous.

Vision was greater: This Empire is going to be more significant, have greater power, than the empires that preceded it.

 
Verse 21: “I was looking and behold this horn made war with the saints and overcame them.”

Note: This verse is very important, and has significant theological implications attached to it. 

This horn (the antichrist) made war with the saints (believers): To call the saints ‘believers’ (as we did in Daniel 7:18 and now here) is problematic to many people, as they believe the antichrist will not be revealed in the world until after the removal (rapture, blessed hope) of the church (believers). The people who believe this will, very dogmatically, say that this verse has to be
speaking about Old Testament saints. However, a careful look at Revelation 13 reveals this to us

Note on Revelation 13: This is a prophecy about an end time empire that is going to rise up out of chaos (the sea, meaning out of a place of great instability – Revelation 13:1). This instability is going to be the key that gives rise to this wicked empire. At this time, all the dwellers of the earth (i.e. those who do not have a G-dly mindset and therefore do not have a connection with God’s
Kingdom, those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life – unbelievers – Revelation 13:8) are going to worship the beast (this antichrist). This same evil empire makes war with the saints and overcomes them (he has a temporary victory over these saint. See Revelation 13:7).

Reading verse 7 in light of verse 8 we have to draw the conclusion that the saints are the ones who are saved – the ones whose names are written in the Lamb’s (Yeshua’ s) Book of Life.

Another hermeneutical clue that can help us to understand that these saints are believers (the church) can be found in Revelation 13:9 (“If anyone has an ear, let him hear”). In Revelation 2&3 seven messages are written to seven different churches. At the end of each message, to every church, this same refrain is repeated: “He who has an ear, let him hear…”

Verse 22: “Until the Ancient of Days came, and He judged their judgment of the saints of the Most High, and the time will arrive that the saints will be strong in the Kingdom.”

He judged their judgment: This prevailing, of the antichrist empire, against the believers carries on until God comes to vindicate us (we are going to be victorious) through Messiah.

The saints will be strong (empowered): Our strength and hope is in the covenantal promises of God. The enemy may be able to hurt or kill our physical bodies, but he cannot take the eternal promises and our hope away from us.