Daniel 7:14, commentary and pictures

The verse shows the Son of man coming to the Ancient of Days in heaven to receive dominion and glory and an everlasting kingdom, not coming to earth, at the close of His work as mediator.
That reception took place at the end of the 2300 days in 1844, when Christ entered the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary as High Priest to make atonement, blot out sins, and carry out the investigative judgment.
He receives the kingdoms of earth as lawful heir and everlasting possession by redeeming through His own suffering and death what Satan claimed, refusing to receive them from Satan without dying.
His dominion is everlasting and shall not pass away nor be destroyed, with all peoples, nations and languages serving and obeying Him under God as monarch of the universe, omnipotent Ruler who controls all kingdoms and rules the destinies of men.
After receiving the kingdom He will return in power and great glory as supreme Judge and King of kings to subdue all authority, pronounce sentence on His enemies, redeem His waiting people and establish His kingdom on earth.

Vision Setting and History

The promise was given while the Jewish nation lay in captivity, its temple destroyed and its temple service suspended, unfolding events far beyond their present distress. At that time Israel's religion had centered in the ceremonies of the sacrificial system, with outward forms made all-important, the spirit of true worship lost, worship corrupted with heathen traditions and practices, and failure to look beyond the shadow to Christ the true offering for sin and the substance. God brought the captivity and suspended the temple services so that outward ceremonies would not become the sum of religion, to purge principles and practices from heathenism, to cause ritual service to cease so that heart service might revive, and to remove outward glory so that the spiritual might be revealed. The vision was manifested to God's prophets as the captive people, lacking any outward representation of His presence, turned to the Lord in repentance and called unto God in humiliation and distress.

In that setting the vision foretells the overthrow of the oppressors of God's people, the coming of the Redeemer, and the establishment of the everlasting kingdom that would endure. The four beasts of the chapter are the successive empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome, with papal power inheriting the power those empires held. The little horn is the Roman Church, even before it held civil power. Its dominion is removed at the close of the 1260 days, when Berthier took Rome in February 1798 and the Pope was taken prisoner.

The revelation belonged to the mysteries of ages to come, not fully understood even by Daniel himself. Like the rest of his prophecies in chapters seven to twelve, it was to be shut up and sealed even to the time of the end, with full understanding reserved for the closing period of this world's history. Daniel was given the assurance that at the end of the days he would rest and then stand again in his lot and place. The verse stands as part of a figurative outline of historical events leading to the close of earth's history, whose meaning helps explain the visions of John in Revelation.

Heavenly Reception of Kingdom

The Son of man comes to the Ancient of Days in heaven to receive dominion and glory and a kingdom, and this coming is not His second coming to earth. It takes place at the close of His work as mediator. It was foretold to occur at the end of the 2300 days in 1844, when Christ, accompanied by angels, entered the most holy place as High Priest. There He carries out the investigative judgment and makes atonement for those entitled to its benefits.

At that time the Father rose from the throne and went in a flaming chariot into the Holy of Holies within the veil and sat. Jesus left the throne and was borne in a cloudy chariot with wheels like flaming fire, with angels around Him, to the Holiest where the Father sat. There He stands before the Father as great High Priest to receive dominion and glory and a kingdom. He receives the kingdom after entering the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary to make atonement for His people and blot out their sins.

This reception is His rising from His mediatorial throne and going into the Holiest as Bridegroom to receive the kingdom. The kingdom is represented by the marriage, with the New Jerusalem as its capital and representative prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. This coming to receive dominion and glory and a kingdom is a heavenly going to the Holiest, not a coming to this earth to deliver His people on the tenth day of the seventh month. In 1844 Jesus rose up and shut the door. His later standing up as Michael is a separate event, when He will use the kingly power He already has to destroy the wicked, deliver His people and rule the nations.

Nature of Everlasting Kingdom

His dominion is everlasting and will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that cannot be destroyed. In that kingdom all peoples and nations and languages serve Him. They both serve and obey Him, and at the day of judgment He who once stood before His judges will Himself be the Judge.

He is revealed as monarch of the universe, the Ancient of Days, the living God, the Most High above all things. He is the omnipotent Ruler of an everlasting kingdom, the Source of all wisdom, the Ruler of the present and the Revealer of the future. He controls all kingdoms and rules the destinies of men, casting down one mighty ruler and setting up another. By His might and power He exalts whomever He will to carry out His purposes, and what He wills to do is accomplished.

Beside His greatness all human authority is merely human and limited to its proper place. Monarchs and statesmen, even the highest and most learned, are as dust in the balance. Man is poor and frail and short-lived, erring and guilty in lifting up his soul unto vanity. He works to abase the pride of men and to lay human glory in the dust, so the human agent is to be kept out of sight, hid in Christ, while the Lord God of heaven and His law are exalted. The time of the prophecy is nearly fulfilled, when the kingdom will be given to Christ and He will sit on His Father's throne.

Won Through Redemptive Sacrifice

Daniel 7:14 is fulfilled as Jesus becomes the lawful heir to the kingdoms of the earth and has them given into His hands as an everlasting possession in the way appointed by His Father. He redeems through His own life what Satan claims as his, choosing a life of suffering and dreadful death rather than receiving the possessions of earth and the glory of reigning over them from Satan without dying. After a season all in heaven and earth will submit to Him, and Satan himself will be given into His hands to be destroyed by death, never more to annoy Jesus nor the saints in glory. The kingdom that belonged to Satan will be given to Jesus through Christ's death, and through that victory Satan knows he will finally die and his kingdom will be given to Jesus. That victory secures salvation, though Satan continues working against God's government by trying to keep people from accepting it.

The kingdom foretold for the predicted Saviour, the Prince of Heaven, to be established upon the earth will not be established with earthly triumph, worldly honor and display. It will embrace all the kingdoms of the world which Satan claims as his dominion, and its coming contests Satan's empire over the world, disputes his right, breaks his power, ends his power and glory, and brings him retribution for the sins he introduced and the misery he brought upon man. Dominion, glory and the kingdoms of the world were promised to the Son of God as heir of all things even when He appeared without worldly riches or splendor. His union with the Father and the excellency and glory of His divine character were hid from the world, so He was despised and rejected of men and esteemed smitten of God and afflicted, and people did not recognize His divine glory.

The scribes and Pharisees taught only the triumphant side of the promise that the Messiah would come as a victorious conqueror to break the Roman yoke, shine gloriously, take the kingdom and reign as a temporal prince on David's throne. When Christ came in humiliation, speaking unwelcome truths and calling disciples to daily warfare against sin, they were bitterly disappointed, refused His declaration of an everlasting kingdom, and closed their eyes to the prophecies of His life of sorrow and manner of death. His followers are sons of God and joint heirs with Christ, so the kingdom and dominion belong to them as well, though the world does not recognize their calling or see what they will become.

Future Coming as Judge

The verse presents the second coming of Christ in power and great glory, when He establishes His kingdom on earth, subdues all authority, and rules over all nations. His descent to earth in kingly power to take His patiently waiting people is the fulfillment of this royal rule. Its subjects are the saved, whose cases have been decided, over whom He reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Jesus applied the vision of the Son of man coming in the clouds to His own future return, when He would sit at God's right hand and come in heaven's clouds with power and great glory. Then, rather than standing accused before earthly rulers, He will act as supreme Judge and pronounce sentence on His enemies. At the day of judgment Christ, who stood before His judges, will be the Judge, reversing His trial so that the One condemned by earthly judges comes with angels to judge them.

After receiving dominion, glory, and a kingdom from the Ancient of Days in heaven, He will return in glory as King of kings and Lord of lords to redeem His people. That reception of His kingdom is represented by the marriage, with the New Jerusalem as its capital and representative prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, and the redeemed will share the marriage supper in His kingdom. Having entered the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary to make atonement for His people and received the kingdom from His Father, He will then return to earth and take them to live with Him forever. At the deliverance they see the Son of man seated on His throne in divine glory with the marks of His humiliation, hear Him ask the Father that those given to Him may be with Him, and are welcomed as faithful and brought among the angels.

Study Warning and Readiness

Daniel with Revelation is to receive attention as never before, with the history of the kingdoms represented there studied point by point so that statesmen, councils and powerful armies are seen overruled by God. The prophecies are a figurative outline of historical events leading to the close of earth's history, and they must be studied carefully and applied correctly. The vision was given direct from God especially for the last days, needs closer study as never before, and is now in process of fulfillment with all events foretold soon to come to pass.

The vision shows that God's judgments are before the world and that the work of purification and warning must go forward. That work is urgent in warning and converting people, as in Oakland and San Francisco.

Christ's going to the Father in the holy of holies is His going to receive the everlasting kingdom, where He stands as great High Priest before the return. Those who follow Jesus by faith keep their eyes fixed on Him in the Holiest and keep their garments spotless while waiting for His return. They continue thus until in a little while He returns from the wedding and receives them to Himself.