Daniel wanted to "know the truth of the fourth beast"
(Daniel 7:19)
as he "considered the horns" (Daniel 7:8)
of "the fourth beast" (Daniel 7:7)
This "fourth beast" (Daniel 7:19) is said to be the "fourth kingdom upon earth" (Daniel 7:23) and corresponds to the "fourth kingdom" in Nebuchadnezzar's vision (Daniel 2:40)
The character of this "fourth kingdom" is described
with identical language in both visions as seen by Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel (Daniel 2:40 cf. Daniel 7:7,19,23)
An additional detail found in Daniel's vision of the "fourth
kingdom", but NOT found in Nebuchadnezzar's vision is the description of "that horn ... whose look was
more stout than his fellows" (Daniel 7:20),
which "made war with the saints and prevailed against them" (Daniel 7:21)
The reason for this omission in Nebuchadnezzar's vision
is that the focus is on the beginning of the "Times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24)
and, so only the "head of gold", Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) is identified (Daniel 2:36-38 cf. Jeremiah 27:5-8)
The Kingdom of the Saints of the Most High (Daniel 7:22)
The saints (redeemed Israel) of "the Most High"
will be given the "judgment" (rule) and possession of the kingdom at the coming of the "Ancient
of Days" (Daniel 7:22 cf. Daniel 7:9,18)
and they will be "kings and priests" of their God (Revelation 1:6; Revelation 5:10) and be as promised a "royal priesthood" (I Peter 2:9), i.e. a "kingsom of priests" (Exodus 19:6)
Israel's first patriarch, Abraham (Acts 7:2), to whom was promised "possession" (Acts 7:5) of "the land which I shall show thee" (Acts 7:3), knew the "God of Glory" (Acts 7:2)
as "the Most High God", i.e. "the Possessor of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14:18-19)
The fourth beast (the fourth kingdom) will be diverse
from all other kingdoms (Daniel 7:23)
in its destructive power, because it will include within itself all the other kingdoms (Revelation 13:1-2 cf. Daniel 7:3-7)
The horn that shall arise AFTER the ten horns (the ten
kings) shall be diverse from them, because he shall gain their allegiance (Revelation 17:12-13) AFTER he subdues three of them (Daniel 7:24)
The ten kings shall arise out of the land that the Lord
promised to Israel as its inheritance and she has yet to fully occupy it - ALL the land between between the Mediterranean
Sea on the West and the Euphrates River on the East, i.e. the current day Middle East (Joshua 1:2-4 cf. Deuteronomy 11:22-24)
The ten nations occupied this land in the days of Israel's
progenitor, Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21)
and they will be the SAME nations that will come against his descendants in the last days (Psalms 83:3-8)
The "Little Horn" is said to "speak great
things" (Daniel 7:8),
i.e. "great words against the Most High" (Daniel 7:25)
- "blasphemy against God" (Revelation 13:6)
The Antichrist will "wear out the saints" and
they will "be given into his hand" for three and a half years (Daniel 7:25),
i.e. "it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them" (Revelation 13:7) - "power was given unto him to continue" for 42 months (Revelation 13:5)
The Antichrist posing as God in His Temple (II Thessalonians 2:4) will think (intend) to "change times (seasons) and laws" (Daniel 7:25) - that which is reserved to the True God alone (Daniel 2:20-21)
The Son of Man: His Judgment and Kingdom(Daniel 7:26-28)
The "Judgment shall sit" (Daniel 7:26) when the "Son of Man shall come in His Glory" and "shall sit upon the Throne
of His Glory" and before Him shall be gathered ALL the nations" (Matthew 25:31-32)
The Kingdom of the
Saints of the Most High(Daniel 7:27)
Though the thoughts concerning his people's future troubled
him so that his "countenance changed" - yet Daniel "kept the matter" in his heart (Daniel 7:28) as did Mary concerning the "things" pertaining to her Son's future (Luke 2:19)