19 "Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet,
20 and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance than its associates.
21 I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them
22 until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.
23 "Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.
24 As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.
25 He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
26 But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.
27 Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’
28 "At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself.” (Daniel 7:19-28)
It was common in Jewish eschatology even in Jesus' day to believe that a final eschatological persecutor would rise against the Jewish people causing a time of great trouble and distress before the coming of the Messiah. It was known as the footsteps of the Messiah - before the Messiah's coming there would be a time of great trouble (Daniel 12:2 - Matt 24:21). In the movie "Fiddler on the Roof" the persecutors have coming to tell the Jewish people that they are being expelled from the territory and must therefore begin to leave. The Jewish fellow who is the star of the movie asks, "Is it the time?" His question was founded on the Jewish belief that there would be a time of great trouble and he was asking if that time had begun.
In its full context, the persecutor of Daniel 7:25, the one who wears out the saints, is the final eschatological persecutor who will vent unholy wrath against the Jewish people and against the church of God who bear the testimony of Jesus.
"And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ"(Rev 11:17). It is HE who is granted to make war with the saints and overcome them (Rev 13:7). It's the final eschatological Antichrist Paul speaks of in II Thess 2:1-10 which is also the willful king of Daniel 11:36 who makes himself above every god or object of worship (Daniel 11:36 - II Thess 2:4). The Day of the Lord (the second coming of Christ) will not occur before this man of sin is revealed (II Thess 2:3).
Somehow in the providence of the sovereign God, this "he" will be allowed to embark on a brief but fierce career. The time, times, and half a time of Daniel 7:25 (also Daniel 7:7) corresponds to the forty two months (three and a half years) of Rev 11:2 when the willful king has control of Jerusalem and it is trampled underfoot. The two witnesses of God will prophesy against the kingdom of the beast during this time and will prophesy against if for 1,260 days (times, times, and half a time - three and a half years - fory two months - 1,260 days).
The beginnings of persecution today will pale in comparison to what is going to be unleased in the final days against the Jewish people and the church of God who bear the testimony of Jesus. If the footmen (mild, shallow persecution so far for the church in America and changing times) have wearied us and worn us out what will we do when the horsemen arrive?
/These are the days where it is vital that we find our strength in Jesus. We must press into Him, we must abide under the shadow of the almighty. It is time to be unashamed of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus./
/Let us continue to stand upon the solid Rock of Jesus. Let His Truth be the light that shines from our inward man to a dark and dying world. Do not be afraid brothers and sisters of the terrors of the night nor the arrows that fly by day. For we shall call upon the Lord and He will answer us. We shall be more than conquerors in Christ Jesus for the Lord is our hiding place, we continually abide in Him and in Him there is no darkness. Let your light so shine before men and be fierce advocates of the Truth no matter what......bro Frank/
Yes and Amen!
26 But the court will sit for judgment, and his (the final AC persecutor) dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.
27 Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’ (Daniel 7:26-27)
