Daniel 7:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

NIV: (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)

NASB: As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.

CSB: As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was removed, but an extension of life was granted to them for a certain period of time.

NLT: The other three beasts had their authority taken from them, but they were allowed to live a while longer.

KJV: As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

NKJV: As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

Daniel's prophetic dream featured four animal-like beasts representing different nations (Daniel 7:3–7, 17). At one point, Daniel's vision includes the sight of God sitting on a fiery throne of judgment (Daniel 7:9–10). The fourth beast is incinerated. In this verse, the other three are allowed to continue. Since each represents a successive empire in the Mediterranean region, this cannot mean they all existed at the same time.

This part of prophecy deals with the ultimate ends of those empires. Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece fell as empires but transferred that power to a later earthly power. Those who lived during the transition from one kingdom to the next lived more or less as they had before. The last "beast," controlled by a figure symbolized by a blasphemous "little horn" (Daniel 7:8, 20, 25), is annihilated entirely. When God judges that nation, nothing will then remain.

Revelation 19:11–16 pictures Christ at the end of the tribulation. He returns to earth in a blaze of glory and strikes down the followers of the entity represented here in the book of Daniel. This is the world government represented by the fourth beast, which some interpreters associate with a "Revived Roman Empire." Even their dead bodies will not remain intact. An angel will invite scavenging birds "to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great" (Revelation 19:18).

This destruction of the final "beast" comes before a famous part of Daniel's prophecy. In the next verses he describes a coming figure "like a son of man," a title which will be applied to Jesus Christ (Daniel 7:13; Matthew 26:2; Mark 14:61–62; Revelation 14:14).

Daniel 7:1–12 looks back to a time before the story contained in chapter 6. This passage describes a dream Daniel had during the rule of Belshazzar (Daniel 5:1, 30). His visions contained information about various kingdoms leading up to a dreadful, strong kingdom in the end times. The images also pictured God, "the Ancient of Days," who judges the final Gentile kingdom. An angel's explanation of the dream and visions follows in the next passage.

Daniel experiences a troubling vision in the form of a dream. He sees animal-like beasts representing successive kingdoms. The last of these is uniquely powerful and led by a mysterious figure. This person, depicted as a "little horn," will be known for usurping power, blasphemy against God, and intense persecution of the saints. Yet his time will be short and it will end in God's successful judgment.

This chapter is the intersection of two different divisions in the book of Daniel. This is the last passage written in Aramaic, the common language of the world at that time. It is also the first segment focusing on prophecy, shifting from a record of events in the past to show a glimpse of the future. This passage connects to other descriptions of the end times, such as those found in Revelation chapters 13, 19, and 20.

The book of Daniel contains famous Old Testament stories and prophecies. Daniel was taken from the Israelite people and made an advisor for a conquering empire. He demonstrates faithfulness and wisdom during many years serving in this role. Though Daniel does not deliver a public message, Jesus refers to him as a "prophet" (Matthew 24:15). The first portion of the book mostly describes Daniel's interpretations of dreams and other events. The second portion looks ahead to the end times. Daniel is classified in English Bibles as a "major" prophet, meaning the book is relatively long and the content has broad implications. The book of Revelation echoes and expands on many of the same themes.