Daniel 7:11, commentary and pictures

Daniel watches because of the boastful, arrogant and blasphemous words spoken by the little horn, which is the papacy, until the beast representing Rome is judged and slain and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. Its end is sudden destruction by fire following those words, not a gradual growing gentle to make way for a temporal millennium, with the horn's loss of dominion reaching a historic turning point when Rome was taken and the pope made prisoner in February 1798. The scene belongs to the vision of the heavenly throne and judgment at the end of the 2300 days, when the Father moves into the most holy place and Jesus ministers there as High Priest before receiving the kingdom. It reveals God alone as great, the Ancient of Days and monarch of the universe, Ruler of the present and of the destinies of men and Revealer of the future, who controls all kingdoms and will set up His everlasting kingdom. He works by His might to abase human pride and lay human glory in the dust, showing monarchs and statesmen and the highest and most learned to be as dust in the balance, exalting whom He will and casting down one mighty ruler and setting up another.

Beast, Horn and Fire

The great words that hold Daniel's gaze are the boastful, arrogant, blasphemous words spoken by the little horn. That little horn is the papacy, representing the Roman Church even before it gained civil power. Its working as the man of sin is among the last features plainly revealed in earth's history, set within a prophecy to be studied carefully as a figurative outline of events leading to the close of earth's history.

The beast in whose destruction the vision ends represents Rome, the last of the four empires, whose power passes through successive empires to its final destruction. It is an apocalyptic beast power associated with a union of church and state that cruelly persecutes and crushes those who oppose it. Daniel watches because of the horn's words until the beast is judged and slain, its body destroyed and given to the burning flame.

Its end is destruction by fire, not a gradual becoming gentle or making way for a temporal millennium. The loss of dominion by the little horn is applied historically to February 1798, when Berthier took Rome and the Pope was taken prisoner.

God's Sovereign Judgment

The verse stands in the vision of the heavenly throne and judgment opened at the end of the 2300 days. There the Father and the Son are seen, the scene turning on the Father's moving into the most holy place and Jesus' ministry there as High Priest. After that ministry Jesus goes to the Father to receive the kingdom. That judgment vision is joined to God's judgments as warnings to people, given so that some will heed the warning and be converted.

The vision exalts God alone as great, the Most High above all things. He is the monarch of the universe, the Ancient of Days, the living and omnipotent God. He is the Source of all wisdom, the Ruler of the present and of the destinies of all men, the Revealer of the future, controlling all kingdoms. He is about to set up His everlasting kingdom, and He wills and accomplishes His purposes.

By this He works to abase human pride and lay human glory in the dust. Divine agency is unfolded as above all, while human agencies are merely human and limited and are to be kept in their proper place. Man in lifting up his soul unto vanity is exposed as poor, frail, short-lived, erring, and guilty. Even monarchs and statesmen, the highest and most learned, are as dust in the balance. All human authority is still to be treated respectfully, but it occupies only its own place, for God alone is Ruler of the destinies of all men.

By His might and power to carry out His purposes, He exalts whom He will. He casts down one mighty ruler and sets up another in his place.

Study for the Last Days

Daniel 7:11 stands among the wonderful prophecies recorded in Daniel 7-12, given to Daniel as God's ambassador to reveal the mysteries of ages to come. Even Daniel himself did not fully understand what was shown him, for the vision was to be shut up and sealed even to the time of the end. With it came the blessed assurance that Daniel would rest and then stand in his lot and place at the end of the days, in the closing period of this world's history.

The light contained in Daniel was given directly from God especially for these last days, is now in process of fulfillment, and all the events foretold will soon have come to pass. It is to be studied carefully as a figurative outline of events leading to the close of earth's history, in which the working of the man of sin appears among the last features plainly revealed.

In presenting this vision the human agent is to be kept out of sight, hid in Christ, while the Lord God of heaven and His law are exalted. Less is to be said about the Roman power and the papacy, and more attention called to what the prophets and apostles wrote under inspiration of the Spirit of God. The history of the kingdoms there represented, with statesmen, councils, and powerful armies, is to be called up point by point, and Daniel and Revelation are to have attention as never before.