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For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.

The Interpretation of the Dream 15 “I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me.  16 I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this. “So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things:  17 ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth.  18 But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’ 19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left.  20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully.  21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them,  22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. 23 “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.  24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.  25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. 26 “‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.  27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’ 28 “This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”

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The bookends to this passage (vv. 15, 28) depict Daniel as deeply disturbed by the vision he experienced. In the vision, the Lord gives Daniel a panoramic view of history, from the present day to the end of the world, when the Lord returns to establish his kingdom for eternity. There will be a succession of kingdoms and empires, ending with a particularly nasty set of emperors whose viciousness surpasses any of their predecessors, unleashing intense suffering on the whole world, including the ‘holy people’ (vv. 25–27). Could this be a way of speaking of the ‘man of lawlessness’?2 Why did this revelation disturb Daniel so deeply? This passage compares with Mark 13 in three respects. First, they both give a panoramic view of history, from the author’s day to the end of history, when the Lord overcomes all opposition to his authority and establishes his kingdom. Second, they are both concerned with the persecution of the people of God. It is this latter dimension, perhaps, that explains Daniel’s deep disquiet. Not only will the nation of Israel not regain political freedom, but they, as people of the Most High, will suffer persecution. The principles of suffering and persecution will remain constant features of life (contrary to the gospel of health and wealth) until the Lord establishes his kingdom for eternity. If the Lord had not limited the time of suffering (vv. 25–27),3 life would be unbearable. Third, in spite of these circumstances, the Lord remains in control of the whole process of history. We have no idea what today holds, whether good or bad, but we should not be surprised if we are called upon to suffer for our faith. We have the confidence that our lives and our circumstances are in the hands of the Lord.

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