Daniel 7:12
As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
The four beasts are symbols of the successive empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. In this prophecy a horn can represent a church, and the little horn represents the Roman Church before it held civil power. The papal power inherits the power previously held by those empires in succession.
The taking away of dominion applies historically to the end of papal dominion at the close of the 1260 days in February 1798, when Berthier entered Rome on February 10 and the pope was taken prisoner on February 15. The verse belongs to the symbolic record given to Daniel to write for coming generations, which sets forth through figures and symbols events covering the history of this world till the close of time and traces historical events in order toward the close of earth's history. Its details must be applied carefully rather than used to support mistaken theories.
The revelation came while Daniel clung to God with unwavering trust, and God approved his firmness, self-denial, and purity of motive and gave him knowledge, skill, and understanding in all visions and dreams, with the spirit of prophetic power resting upon him even while he was receiving instruction from men in the duties of court life. God takes the dominion of the earlier kingdoms away to abase human pride and lay human glory in the dust, casting down one mighty ruler and setting up another. Though their dominion is taken away, their lives are prolonged for an appointed season and time, so they hold only a limited, merely human place under God while their place in history is still traced point by point through statesmen, councils, and powerful armies.
God alone is great in the verse, revealed as monarch of the universe, the Ancient of Days, the living and omnipotent God, the Most High above all things, the Source of all wisdom, the Ruler of the present and Revealer of the future, controlling all kingdoms and ruling the destinies of all men, about to set up His everlasting kingdom, willing His purposes and accomplishing them. By His might and power He exalts whom He will to carry out His purposes, while monarchs and statesmen, even the highest and most learned, are as dust in the balance before Him. The verse teaches that the human agent is to be kept out of sight, hid in Christ, and God and His law are to be exalted, since man is poor, frail, short-lived, erring, and guilty in lifting up his soul unto vanity. The light was given especially for the last days and is now in process of fulfillment, with all the events foretold soon to come to pass.