Key Text: Dan. 7:27

Study Focus: Daniel 7, 2 Thess. 2:1–12, Rom. 8:1, Mark 13:26, Luke 9:26, Luke 12:8, 1 Tim. 2:5.

Introduction: Daniel 7 shows that after a sequence of world powers, that govern the world with ruthless dominion, the heavenly tribunal is set, and the Son of man receives the power and the kingdom to rule forever with His people.

Lesson Themes:

1. The Little Horn. Out of the fourth beast with ten horns emerges a little horn that blasphemes God and persecutes His people.
2. Heavenly Judgment. The heavenly judgment condemns the little horn and gives deliverance and salvation to God’s people.
3. Son of Man. The Son of man emerges from the heavenly judgment to vindicate His people.
4. The Saints of the Most High. The “saints” suffer persecution but remain faithful to God.

Life Application: In spite of so much injustice, persecution, and trial, God’s people may look to the future with hope. A look at this prophetic depiction of history shows that human history will culminate with the heavenly judgment and the everlasting kingdom of the Son of man. We long for God’s everlasting kingdom to be established soon.

Part II: Commentary

Let us look in greater detail at the lesson themes outlined above:

1. Little Horn. The little horn grows out of, and among, the other ten horns of the terrible animal that represents the Roman Empire. Indeed, it uproots three of the ten kingdoms that grow out of pagan Rome. The little-horn power is an extension of pagan Rome and thus shares essential characteristics of the former empire. It usurps the prerogatives of Christ, persecutes God’s people, changes God’s law, speaks against God, and acts as it pleases for three and a half times (which is 1260 calendar years). These activities indicate that this entity holds both political and religious power, which fits with the papacy. History shows that the conversion of the emperor Constantine, the official recognition of Sunday as a day of worship, the fall of Rome to barbarians, and the foundation of Constantinople in the East were important factors that favored the rise of the papacy. With the demise of the pagan western Roman Empire, the bishop of Rome filled the power vacuum that was created in Rome with the transfer of the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople. With the decree of emperor Justinian in A.D. 533, made effective only in A.D. 538, declaring the pope the head of all the churches, the door was open for the papacy to implement its rule. Now the bishop of Rome held not only religious authority but also political power. The popes soon began to call themselves pontifex and adopted other customs and laws of the pagan Roman Empire. By means of alliances with temporal powers, the persecuted church became the persecutor. Through the Crusades and the Inquisition, the Roman church inflicted tremendous pain on many who wanted to remain faithful to biblical teachings. So already during the Middle Ages the pope came to be identified with the Antichrist (Matthew 24; 2 Thess. 2:3, 4; Rev. 13:1–10). In 1798, Napoleon put the pope in prison, bringing to an end the 1260 years of papal rulership.

2. Heavenly Judgment. The heavenly court scene of Daniel 7:9–14 depicts the central event of the chapter. The books; the Ancient of Days on the throne; and the Son of man, surrounded by heavenly clouds (Dan. 7:13) as He comes into the presence of the Ancient of Days portray a scene of judgment in heaven. Judgment in the Scriptures conveys both condemnation and vindication. For the little horn, however, the judgment means condemnation and will lead to the horn’s eventual obliteration. But for the saints, who have been persecuted by the little horn, the judgment means vindication, salvation, and restoration. As their names are examined in the heavenly judgment, they are declared innocent. They are vindicated and eventually receive the kingdom. A few aspects of this judgment bear mentioning. First, we should note that this judgment begins after the little horn rises to power and concludes soon before the saints are rewarded, and the little horn is punished. So, this judgment has been properly designated as the investigative judgment. Ellen G. White mentions the following books in connection with this judgment: (1) the book of life, containing the names of those who have accepted the service of God; (2) the book of remembrance, a record of the good deeds of the saints; and (3) a record of sins (The Great Controversy, pp. 480, 481). For the sake of justice and transparency to all those involved in and affected by the final decision, God must conduct an investigation so that no one could cast doubt upon the rightness of the final decision. Second, because this judgment has a cosmic scope and, according to the prophetic chronology, is taking place right now, some have wondered whether God could begin the judgment of the living any time soon. Such concern prevents full enjoyment of the Christian life. We should bear in mind that the judgment of the living will take place only when the time of probation closes and the seven last plagues begin to be poured on Babylon (Revelation 15–16). But most importantly, we must not fear the judgment because the “Son of Man” is our representative in the heavenly tribunal. Thus, rather than condemnation, the heavenly judgment will bring us vindication and deliverance.

3. Son of Man. The designation “Son of Man” (bar ’enash in Aramaic) links this heavenly being with some important theological and historical realities. First, the Son of man points back to Adam, the father of the human race. Adam was put in charge of the creation and was commanded to exert dominion. So, in contrast to Adam who exerted temporary dominion—and the kings of the world, who ruled for a time—the Son of man receives an everlasting kingdom. Thus, the Son of man regains what Adam lost. Second, the designation Son of man suggests that He shares common ground with humanity. This expression can be used to designate a human being (Ezek. 2:1). Because in Daniel 7 this figure is clearly a heavenly being, the title Son of man points to His bond with humankind. From the broad context of the Scriptures, we can infer that the Son of man not only represents His people in the heavenly tribunal, but He can identify with them because He partakes of their human nature (Heb. 2:14, Heb. 4:15). We should also note that the Son of man of Daniel 7 must be identified with the Prince of the Host (Dan. 8:11), the “man clothed in linen” (Dan. 10:5), and Michael (Dan. 10:13, Dan. 12:1). To conclude, the Son of man of Daniel 7 is clearly the Messiah Jesus Christ, who comes to the presence of God the Father as a representative of the saints (1 John 2:1) on the antitypical Day of Atonement. This connection will become clearer in the study of Daniel 8.

4. The Saints of the Most High. This group is the object of the little horn’s persecution and is described as “the saints” (Dan. 7:21), “the saints of the most High” (Dan. 7:18, 22, 25), and as “the people of the saints of the most High” (Dan. 7:27), as they receive the kingdom. They are also referred to as “holy people” in Daniel 8:24 in the context of the little horn’s attacks against them; and in Daniel 12:7 in a context of persecution. Such designations of God’s people as saints/holy ones echo Exodus 19:6, where God calls Israel to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Thus, the saints of the Most High “are to be identified with God’s faithful followers who constitute His remnant people, who are His chosen ones, set apart from the rest of the nations, persecuted by the power opposing God, but keeping the covenant faith and maintaining their trust and confidence in God from whom they finally receive an everlasting kingdom.”—Gerhard F. Hasel, “The Identity of ‘The Saints of the Most High’ in Daniel 7,” Biblica 56, no. 2 [1975]: p. 192. Revelation 12–14 depicts the followers of Christ and shows how they remain faithful during the last crisis. John says that “the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 12:17, NKJV). Because of the close relationship between the “testimony of Jesus” and prophecy (Rev. 19:10 and Rev. 22:9), “Seventh-day Adventists thus interpret the passage and believe that the ‘remnant’ will be distinguished by the manifestation of the gift of prophecy in their midst. The ‘testimony of Jesus Christ,’ they believe, is the witness of Jesus in their midst through the medium of the prophetic gift.”—The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 812.

Part III: Life Application

“God gave Daniel a vision that would enable him to see that, whereas violence and persecution would increase in the world, God is in control. He is the great Judge who will see to it that truth will triumph in the end. Worldly powers, presented in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar as deteriorating in the maintenance of moral standards, are presented to Daniel as increasing in fierceness and violence. The climax of worldly arrogance is seen in the rise of a little horn that speaks ‘great things.’ While terrible things are taking place on earth, a tribunal is being set up in heaven that will judge the things that are happening on the earth according to records that are kept. The arrogant powers of earth will be condemned and destroyed, while the Son of man with the saints will be given an everlasting dominion that will never be destroyed.”—G. Arthur Keough, God and Our Destiny, Adult Sabbath School Lessons, First Quarter, 1987, p. 63.