Daniel 7

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:16

I came near unto one of them that stood by ,.... To one of the angels that attended, either the throne of judgment, or, the Son of man in his approach to his divine Father: and asked him the truth of all this ; the substance of these visions; what these images, presented to his view, were shadows and representations of; so type and truth, shadow and substance, are opposed to each other. The real meaning of all this was what he asked; nor need any be ashamed to ask of whomsoever they can... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:17

These great beasts, which are four, are four kings ,.... Or kingdoms, as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions; and so Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Saadiah; so the fourth beast is called the fourth kingdom, Daniel 7:23 or a succession of kings in four kingdoms or monarchies, comparable to beasts for their strength, cruelty, and tyranny: these are the words of him that stood by, of one of the angels Daniel applied to, to know the meaning of his dream; and might be better rendered,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:18

But the saints of the most High ,.... Or, "of the most high Ones" F4 קדישי עליונין "sanctorum altissimorum", Pagninus, Montanus; "sanctorum excelsorum", Junius & Tremellius. , Father, Son, and Spirit, separated by God the Father in election, and in that sense his servants, or sanctified ones, Judges 1:1 , and redeemed by the Son, and sanctified with his blood, or their sins atoned by it, and to whom he is made sanctification, and so his saints, Hebrews 13:12 and sanctified... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:19

Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast ;.... What it represented, what kingdom or monarchy was meant by it; for, by the above answer of the angel, he understood the four beasts signified four kings or kingdoms; the three first he pretty well understood; at least he was not so solicitous about them as about the fourth; and this he was desirous of having a very particular and exact account of; it threatening, by its appearance, a great deal of trouble to the world, and especially to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:20

And of the ten horns ,.... That is, Daniel desired to know the truth of the ten horns, or the meaning of them what they signified, and who they pointed at, of which in Daniel 7:7 , here it is added, that were in his head ; observing the situation of them; thought the horns of a beast could hardly be thought to be elsewhere: and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell ; particularly he was very desirous to know the meaning of a single horn, which rose up among the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:21

I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints ,.... The same little horn before described; not Antiochus Epiphanes, who made war with the Jews, as many think; or the Roman Caesars, that persecuted the church of Christ, as others; nor Titus Vespasian, who fought against Israel, as Saadiah; but antichrist, or the pope of Rome; and this refers to the wars of the popes with the Waldenses, which began in the year 1160, and continued long, and with the two witnesses at the close of their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:22

Until the Ancient of days came ,.... Not locally, by change of place, he being the omnipresent God; but in a providential way, to check and put a stop to the power and prevalency of the little horn over the saints; for this is the terminus or end of that; which puts a period to it; for when the Ancient of days comes in the exertion of his power and providence, he will come and sit as a Judge upon this little horn or antichrist, and judge, and condemn, and punish it; see Daniel 7:9 , and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:23

Thus he said ,.... The person that stood by, the angel, of whom Daniel made his inquiries, and who answered him, as follows: the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom on earth ; which shows that the angel, by four kings, Daniel 7:17 , meant four kingdoms, that should successively arise in the earth, and out of it, one after another; and this kingdom is not the kingdom of the Seleucidae, nor the Turkish, but the Roman empire; for this is to continue until the kingdom of Christ takes... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:24

And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise ,..... Or ten kingdoms which sprung out of the Roman empire, or into which it was broken and divided upon the dissolution of it, about A.D. 476; which, according to Mr. Mede F11 Works, B. 3. c. 14. p. 661. , were thus divided, A.D. 456, 1. Britons; 2. Saxons; 3. Franks; 4. Burgundians; 5 Visigoths; 6. Suevians and Alanes; 7. Vandals; 8. Almanes; 9. Ostrogoths; 10. Greeks. The list Bishop Lloyd F12 Apud Lowth... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:25

And he shall speak great words against the most High ,.... Or, "at the side of the most High" F16 לצד עליא "ad regionem, sive latus Altissimi", Calvin; "juxta Altissimum". Cocceius; "ex parte Altissimi", Munster. ; setting himself up as a rival, and upon an equality with him; taking the names and characters of holiness, infallibility, yea, of deity itself, unto him; claiming a power to forgive sin, which is peculiar to God; and preferring his own laws, doctrines, and traditions,... read more

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