Daniel 7:9, commentary and pictures

The thrones are set in place for the heavenly court to sit, and the Ancient of Days who takes His seat is God the Father, the Most High and living Ruler, the source of all being and of law and monarch of an everlasting kingdom. His garment white as snow and hair like pure wool portray the solemn majesty of the tribunal, and His throne like fiery flame with wheels as burning fire is a flaming chariot with angels around it in which He moves into the heavenly Most Holy Place. The scene is the opening of the investigative judgment in heaven, the antitypical day of atonement concerning every person, which began at the end of the 2300 days in 1844 when Christ came to the Ancient of Days as High Priest into the most holy place, not yet to earth. There the court sits with holy angels attending as ministers and witnesses and the books of record are opened, and every life and character is closely reviewed with God's law as the standard of righteousness by which destinies are decided according to deeds. Christ carries out the final acts of His ministry there, interceding and examining the records to determine who through repentance and faith are entitled to His atonement that their sins may be blotted out, so all must now afflict their souls in true repentance, confess and forsake sin, and be found without spot that their names may be retained in the book of life.

Throne and Ancient's Appearance

The Ancient of Days is God the Father, the source of all being and of all law, the Most High, great and holy and above all things, monarch of an everlasting kingdom, the living omnipotent Ruler. His garment white as snow and the hair of His head like pure wool, a robe whiter than snow with glory as a crown, portray the solemn majesty of the tribunal where He sits as Judge. The thrones being set in place means thrones are set for the heavenly court to sit.

His throne like fiery flame with wheels as burning fire is a flaming, cloudy chariot with angels all around it. In that chariot the Father moves into the heavenly Most Holy Place, within the veil into the Holy of Holies, and sits there. At the end of the 2300 days He first sits with Jesus on a throne, then rises from that throne and goes in the flaming chariot into the Holiest, after which Jesus leaves the first throne and is borne in the chariot to where the Father sits and stands before Him as great High Priest.

Alongside this, one line of teaching identifies the infant Jesus brought to the temple, though only a few weeks old, as the Ancient of Days, existing from everlasting as the long-expected Messiah. In that same teaching He is head of an unchangeable priesthood and the only true high priest over God's house. Another line of teaching applies the scene to Christ in His holy place, surrounded by innumerable angels, listening to needy souls, approving or condemning human actions, and sending help to those who ask in faith.

Prophetic Setting and Dates

The verse belongs to the revelations of Daniel 7-12 concerning the mysteries of ages to come. It was given in figures and symbols that read the mysteries of the future and record for coming generations the events covering the history of this world till the close of time, because Daniel honored God with firmness, self-denial, purity of motive, and unwavering trust. Even Daniel himself did not fully understand it, for it was sealed until the time of the end. Its full meaning belongs to the closing period of this world's history, when Daniel will again stand in his lot and place.

The little horn of this prophecy represents the Roman Church before it possessed civil power, that is the papacy. Its description is nearly identical to that of the leopard-like beast of Revelation 13. The chapter identifies the historical end of the little horn's dominion, for the 1260 days ended in 1798, when French forces took Rome and the Pope was taken prisoner.

The seating of the Ancient of Days in white clothing and hair upon a fiery throne portrays the solemn majesty of the tribunal, where holy angels attend as ministers and witnesses and the books are opened as human lives and characters are reviewed. This convening of the heavenly court is the opening of the investigative judgment in heaven. Christ's coming to the Ancient of Days at the end of the 2300 days, in 1844, is His coming as High Priest into the most holy place to receive dominion and a kingdom and to carry out the final work of judgment and atonement for those entitled to its benefits, not His second coming to earth. A message announcing that the hour of this judgment has come could be proclaimed only in the last days, when the prophecies concerning that time were fulfilled.

Investigative Judgment Proceedings

The seating of the Ancient of Days opens the investigative judgment in heaven, the solemn review in the sanctuary above which is the antitypical day of atonement concerning every person. The court sits with holy angels attending as ministers and witnesses before the assembled multitude, and the books of record are opened. Every person must face the great Judge and answer for their own case, with lives and characters, deeds, works and actions reviewed and weighed before God, and judgment soon to be pronounced.

The examination bears especially on those who profess truth and follow Him, whose names recorded in the book of life come up for review with decisions made concerning them before Christ returns and destinies and rewards determined according to deeds. The scrutiny is close and searching, individual and not in groups, as if there were not another being on earth, while all nations pass in judgment. Justice takes the throne, motives and deeds are laid bare by Christ, every hidden action becomes clear to the doer and before the universe, and the Judge's searching gaze exposes guilt.

The books contain the thoughts, words and actions of those receiving much light and many opportunities. Where virtuous character is lacking names are left unclear and records blotted and blurred, and great numbers are weighed in the balances and found wanting for known sins and for hidden sins of passion, licentiousness and lust cloaked from human eyes but seen by the Lord. Names are blotted from the Book of Life and the sentence Depart from Me, ye workers of iniquity is pronounced, even on men claiming to be teachers of truth whose labor was not marked with holy endeavor and who had no confidence and boldness toward God. God's law is presented as the standard of righteousness by which people are judged, obedience to that perfect law is a prerequisite of salvation, and its principles determine the sentence of life or death.

The judgment begins with the dead and then includes the living, having begun in 1844 with the dead in its first phase. That closing work of atonement has been in progress for more than sixty years and will soon pass to the cases of the living. Even now the cases of many are passing in review before Him, including those who are to sleep in their graves a little season. God presides over this final judgment and accounting before the whole universe, which gathers to hear the sentence, and it vindicates God's law and name and makes His wisdom and justice clear to believers and unbelievers. The judgment searches all creation and calls each person to be ready, with sins pardoned and every stain removed.

Christ's Sanctuary Ministry

Christ carries out the final acts of His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary as great High Priest, making atonement for those entitled to its benefits and interceding for His people, upon whom God's people are to fix their eyes. At the end of the 2300 days the Father first sits with Jesus on a throne, then rises from that throne and goes in a flaming chariot within the veil into the Holy of Holies and sits there. His throne has wheels like flaming fire, a cloudy chariot with angels all around it. After the Father sits in the Holiest, Jesus leaves the first throne and is borne in the chariot to where the Father sits, standing before Him as a great High Priest to receive the kingdom.

In 1844, at the end of the 2300 days, Christ entered the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary to cleanse it and to perform the closing work of atonement, and the investigative judgment began for the dead. That coming to the Ancient of Days is not His second coming to earth but His coming as High Priest into the most holy place. The cleansing includes examining the record books to determine which repentant people through faith in Christ are entitled to the benefits of His atonement, connected with blotting out recorded sins. It takes place before Christ comes to redeem His people, while Jesus still serves as Advocate before the Father's throne.

The judgment of the righteous is completed before the Lord's coming, so that when Jesus comes the saints receive eternal life because they have been judged and acquitted. After the cases of the righteous dead and living have been decided, Jesus receives dominion and a kingdom. The kingdom is given to Jesus and the heirs of salvation, the subjects of the kingdom are complete, and the marriage of the Lamb is finished. He will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Sovereignty Over Earthly Kingdoms

Daniel 7:9 reveals God alone as great and to be exalted together with His law, as the Ancient of Days, the living God, the Most High, great and holy above all, monarch of the universe and of an everlasting kingdom, the living omnipotent Ruler, the Source of all wisdom, the Ruler of the present and the Revealer of the future, who alone rules destinies, controls all kingdoms, and is about to set up His everlasting kingdom.

The thrones being set means He casts down one mighty ruler and sets up another in his place, and by His might and power He exalts whom He will to carry out His purposes and accomplish what He wills to do. He works through statesmen, councils, powerful armies, and the history of the kingdoms to abase human pride and lay human glory in the dust.

Human agencies are limited and merely human, even monarchs and statesmen, the highest and most learned, being as dust in the balance, to be treated respectfully but kept in their proper place beneath the divine agency. The human agent is to be kept out of sight, hid in Christ, while the Lord God of heaven and His law are exalted. This exposes man as poor, frail, short-lived, erring and guilty in lifting up his soul unto vanity.

His throne and sovereignty belong to Him alone, and to despise His sovereignty is to reject Him and to put upon His throne a false god, a being of human defining altogether like sinful men themselves. Those who do this become agents of Satan to corrupt the unwary, exalting human wisdom and worshiping Satan and the man of sin instead of God. The light of this vision was given direct from God especially for the last days and is now in process of fulfillment, so it needs closer study than ever before in history.

Call to Prepare

The third angel's message is given to prepare a people to stand true to God during the investigative judgment described when the thrones are set and the Ancient of Days sits. That judgment setting is the day when preparation is required to remain faithful and to stand amid the perils of the evil times. God's judgments give warning alongside a call for spiritual purification and a changed religious influence in Oakland and nearby cities. The solemn work taking place in the sanctuary above, the judgment and the great day of atonement, concerns every person and should be kept continually in mind. The seating of the Ancient of Days on the fiery throne amid the thrones belongs to the investigative judgment and the great day of God's preparation.

The closing work of atonement has been in progress for more than sixty years and will soon pass to the cases of the living, where God sits in awful presence in the sanctuary above and judgment is now passing. There every life comes up in review before God with close and searching scrutiny as if there were not another being upon the earth, all nations passing in judgment yet the work individual and not in groups. The judgment throne is set with all old and young who claim to keep the commandments of God gathered about it, with the books opened for examination of the life record containing the thoughts, words, and actions of those who received much light and enjoyed many opportunities. Where virtuous character is lacking names are left unclear and records blotted and blurred, great numbers are weighed in the balances and found wanting for known sins, because base animal passions, licentiousness and lust cloaked from human eyes are seen by the Lord. Names are blotted out of the Book of Life, even of men claiming to be teachers of truth whose labor was not marked with holy endeavor and who had no confidence and boldness toward God to lift up holy hands without wrath and doubting, and the sentence is pronounced, Depart from Me, ye workers of iniquity.

All who would have their names retained in the book of life, and in the Lamb's Book of Life, must now in the few remaining days of probation afflict their souls before God by sorrow for sin and true repentance, with deep faithful searching of heart, putting away a light frivolous spirit and subduing evil tendencies in earnest warfare. Now is the time to obtain the white robe of character, to confess and forsake sin and come to God with contrition of soul, that sins may be blotted out. The soul temple must be cleansed of defilement, with sins confessed and repented of before God that they may be blotted out. Even now the cases of many are passing in review before Him in the great day of atonement, including those who are to sleep in their graves a little season.

This demands humbling before God, serious reflection on what one is and what one's work and mission is, and decision on which side one is working, Christ's side or the enemies' side. Profession of faith is no guarantee in that day, but the state of the affections decides, with self not esteemed too highly. Every sacrifice is to be made willingly for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and every moment lived as not one's own but Christ's property whose service belongs to God. Each one must be tested and found without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.