◄ Daniel 7:22 ►
until the Ancient of Days arrived and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for them to possess the kingdom.
Study Bible
until the Ancient of Days came
The phrase "Ancient of Days" is a title for God, emphasizing His eternal nature and sovereign authority over time and history. In the original Aramaic, "Ancient" (עַתִּיק, 'attiq) conveys the idea of being venerable and timeless. This title is unique to the book of Daniel and underscores God's wisdom and authority, contrasting with the temporal and often corrupt nature of earthly rulers. The coming of the Ancient of Days signifies a divine intervention in human affairs, a moment when God's eternal justice is brought to bear on the world.

and pronounced judgment
The act of pronouncing judgment indicates a decisive and authoritative declaration. In the context of Daniel, this judgment is not merely punitive but restorative, setting right what has been wrong. The Aramaic word for "judgment" (דִּין, din) implies a legal decision, reflecting God's role as the ultimate judge who discerns truth and administers justice. This judgment is in favor of the saints, highlighting God's protective and vindicating role for His people.

in favor of the saints of the Most High
The "saints" (קַדִּישִׁין, qaddishin) are those set apart for God, His holy people. The phrase "of the Most High" (עֶלְיוֹנִין, 'elyonin) emphasizes their relationship with the supreme God, who is above all earthly powers. This divine favor is a recurring theme in Scripture, where God consistently upholds and defends those who are faithful to Him. The historical context of Daniel, with the Jewish people under foreign domination, makes this promise of divine favor and ultimate vindication particularly poignant and hopeful.

and the time came
This phrase indicates a divinely appointed moment, a kairos moment in biblical terms, where God's purposes intersect with human history. The Aramaic word for "time" (זְמַן, zeman) suggests a specific, predetermined period. It reassures believers that God is in control of history, and there is a set time for His plans to unfold, providing hope and assurance that their current struggles are not without purpose or end.

for them to possess the kingdom
The promise of possessing the kingdom is a powerful image of restoration and reward. The Aramaic word for "possess" (יַחֲסוּן, yachasun) implies taking ownership or inheritance. This is not just a return to a previous state but an elevation to a new status of authority and blessing. The "kingdom" here is both a present spiritual reality and a future physical fulfillment, reflecting the biblical theme of God's kingdom being both now and not yet. For the original audience, this promise would have been a source of immense hope, pointing to a future where God's people are no longer oppressed but reign with Him.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ancient of Days
A title for God, emphasizing His eternal nature and sovereign authority. In the context of Daniel 7, He is depicted as the ultimate judge who presides over the affairs of the world.

2. Saints of the Most High
Refers to the faithful followers of God who are set apart for His purposes. In this vision, they are the ones who ultimately receive the kingdom.

3. Judgment
The divine decision-making process where God determines the fate of nations and individuals. Here, it is in favor of the saints, indicating their vindication and reward.

4. The Kingdom
Represents the eternal dominion that God grants to His people. It is a central theme in Daniel's visions, symbolizing the ultimate victory of God's rule.

5. Vision of Daniel
This chapter is part of a larger apocalyptic vision given to Daniel, revealing the rise and fall of earthly kingdoms and the establishment of God's eternal kingdom.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty
Recognize that God is in control of history and will ultimately bring about His purposes. Trust in His timing and judgment.

Vindication of the Faithful
Be encouraged that faithfulness to God will be rewarded. Despite present challenges, God will vindicate His people.

Eternal Perspective
Live with an eternal perspective, focusing on the kingdom that God will establish. This helps prioritize spiritual over temporal concerns.

Role of the Saints
Understand the role of believers as co-heirs with Christ. Engage actively in God's mission, knowing that we are part of His eternal plan.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the title "Ancient of Days" enhance our understanding of God's character and His role in history?

2. In what ways can the promise of judgment in favor of the saints encourage believers facing persecution today?

3. How does the concept of God's kingdom in Daniel 7:22 relate to Jesus' teachings about the kingdom of God in the Gospels?

4. What practical steps can we take to maintain an eternal perspective in our daily lives?

5. How can the assurance of God's ultimate victory influence our approach to current world events and personal challenges?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Revelation 20
This chapter in Revelation echoes the themes of judgment and the reign of the saints, highlighting the ultimate victory of God's people over evil.

Matthew 25
Jesus speaks of the final judgment and the separation of the righteous from the wicked, reinforcing the idea of divine justice and reward for the faithful.

Psalm 2
This psalm speaks of God's sovereign rule and the inheritance of the nations by His anointed, paralleling the theme of God's kingdom being given to His people.
Sermons
Daniel's First VisionE. B. Pusey, D.D.Daniel 7:4-28
The First Two Visions of the Book of DanielT. R. Birks, M.A.Daniel 7:4-28
The Four BeastsOutlines by London MinisterDaniel 7:4-28
The Symbolical BeastsW. White.Daniel 7:4-28
The Vision of the Four BeastsWilliam M. Taylor, D.D.Daniel 7:4-28
Vision, of Four Wild BeastsT.Kirk.Daniel 7:4-28
Godly Obedience the Basis of Permanent DominionJ.D. Davies Daniel 7:15-28
The Great AntagonistH.T. Robjohns Daniel 7:15-28
People
Belshazzar, Daniel
Places
Babylon
Topics
Ancient, Appointed, Arrived, Authority, Decision, Favor, Highest, Judgment, Kingdom, Passed, Places, Possessed, Possession, Pronounced, Received, Saints, Strengthened, Till
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Daniel 7:22

     1205   God, titles of
     2345   Christ, kingdom of
     5727   old age, attitudes
     8271   holiness, purpose

Daniel 7:7-25

     4654   horn

Daniel 7:19-23

     4609   beast, the

Daniel 7:19-26

     4627   creatures

Daniel 7:20-22

     2565   Christ, second coming

Daniel 7:21-22

     2376   kingdom of God, coming

Library
Christ's Own Testimony Concerning Himself.
THERE is but one rational explanation, of this sublime mystery; and this is found in Christ's own testimony concerning his superhuman and divine origin and character.[49]49 This testimony challenges at once our highest regard and belief from the absolute veracity which no one ever denied him, or could deny, without destroying at once the very foundation of his universally conceded moral purity and greatness. Christ strongly asserts his humanity, and calls himself; about eighty times in the Gospels, …
Philip Schaff—The Person of Christ

The Christ of the Gospels. By Rev. Professor Schaff.
THE life and character of Jesus Christ is truly the Holy of Holies in the history of the world. Eighteen hundred years have passed away since he, in the fullness of time, appeared on this earth to redeem a fallen race from sin and death, and to open a never-ceasing fountain of righteousness and life. The ages before him anxiously awaited his coming as "the Desire of all nations;" the ages after him proclaim his glory, and ever extend his dominion. The noblest and best of men under every clime hold …
Philip Schaff—The Romance of M. Renan, and the Christ of the Gospels

The Apocalypse.
1. The word Apocalypse (Greek Apokalupsis) signifies Revelation, the title given to the book in our English version as well from its opening word as from its contents. Of all the writings of the New Testament that are classed by Eusebius among the disputed books (Antilegomena, chap. 5. 6), the apostolic authorship of this is sustained by the greatest amount of external evidence; so much so that Eusebius acknowledges it as doubtful whether it should be classed among the acknowledged or …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

The Captivity of Judah.
Eze., Dan., Lam. The Ten Tribes Lost. After the fall of Samaria we hear but little of the ten tribes. They were carried off into the regions of Ninevah by the Assyrians. All effort to locate them has failed and no doubt will fail. Sargon, in an inscription found at Ninevah, said that he carried away into captivity 27,290. These were perhaps leaders of Israel whom he thought might lead a revolt. He sent others back to take their place and the Israelites seemed to have mingled with the races about …
Josiah Blake Tidwell—The Bible Period by Period

Communion Again Broken --Restoration
Cant. v. 2-vi.10. The fourth section commences with an address of the bride to the daughters of Jerusalem, in which she narrates her recent sad experience, and entreats their help in her trouble. The presence and comfort of her Bridegroom are again lost to her; not this time by relapse into worldliness, but by slothful self-indulgence. We are not told of the steps that led to her failure; of how self again found place in her heart. Perhaps spiritual pride in the achievements which grace enabled her …
J. Hudson Taylor—Union and Communion

The Ecclesiastical Trial
Over the Kedron, up the slope to the city, through the gates, along the silent streets, the procession passed, with Jesus in the midst; midnight stragglers, perhaps, hurrying forward from point to point to ask what was ado, and peering towards the Prisoner's face, before they diverged again towards their own homes.[1] He was conducted to the residence of the high priest, where His trial ensued. Jesus had to undergo two trials--the one ecclesiastical, the other civil; the one before Caiaphas the …
James Stalker—The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ

Jesus at Capernaum.
Beset by an idea, gradually becoming more and more imperious and exclusive, Jesus proceeds henceforth with a kind of fatal impassibility in the path marked out by his astonishing genius and the extraordinary circumstances in which he lived. Hitherto he had only communicated his thoughts to a few persons secretly attracted to him; henceforward his teaching was sought after by the public. He was about thirty years of age.[1] The little group of hearers who had accompanied him to John the Baptist had, …
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

The Danger of Deviating from Divine Institutions.
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." St. Paul was the apostle of the Gentiles. The care of the churches gathered among them devolved particularly on him. At the writing of this epistle he had no personal acquaintance with the church to which it is addressed.* Epaphras, a bishop of the Colossians, then his fellow prisoner at Rome, had made him acquainted with their state, and the danger …
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects

Jesus Stills the Storm.
(Sea of Galilee; Same Day as Last Section) ^A Matt. VIII. 18-27; ^B Mark IV. 35-41; ^C Luke VIII. 22-25. ^b 35 And that day, { ^c one of those days,} ^b when the even was come [about sunset], ^a when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. { ^b he saith unto them, Let us go over unto the other side.} [Wearied with a day of strenuous toil, Jesus sought rest from the multitude by passing to the thinly settled on the east side of Galilee.] ^a 19 And there …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

A vision of the King.
ONE of the most blessed occupations for the believer is the prayerful searching of God's holy Word to discover there new glories and fresh beauties of Him, who is altogether lovely. Shall we ever find out all which the written Word reveals of Himself and His worthiness? This wonderful theme can never be exhausted. The heart which is devoted to Him and longs through the presence and indwelling of the Holy Spirit to be closer to the Lord, to hear and know more of Himself, will always find something …
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory

The Situation after the Council of Nicæa.
The council (a) had testified, by its horrified and spontaneous rejection of it, that Arianism was a novelty subversive of the Christian faith as they had received it from their fathers. They had (b) banished it from the Church by an inexorable test, which even the leading supporters of Arius had been induced to subscribe. In the years immediately following, we find (c) a large majority of the Eastern bishops, especially of Syria and Asia Minor, the very regions whence the numerical strength of the …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius

A Treatise of the Fear of God;
SHOWING WHAT IT IS, AND HOW DISTINGUISHED FROM THAT WHICH IS NOT SO. ALSO, WHENCE IT COMES; WHO HAS IT; WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS; AND WHAT THE PRIVILEGES OF THOSE THAT HAVE IT IN THEIR HEARTS. London: Printed for N. Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, over against the Stocks market: 1679. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and "a fountain of life"--the foundation on which all wisdom rests, as well as the source from whence it emanates. Upon a principle …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Birth and Early Life of John the Baptist.
(Hill Country of Judæa, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke I. 57-80. ^c 57 Now Elisabeth's time was fulfilled that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbors and her kinsfolk heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy towards her [mercy in granting a child; great mercy in granting so illustrious a child] ; and they rejoiced with her. 59 And it came to pass on the eighth day [See Gen. xvii. 12; Lev. xii. 3; Phil. iii. 5. Male children were named at their circumcision, probably …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Second visit to Nazareth - the Mission of the Twelve.
It almost seems, as if the departure of Jesus from Capernaum marked a crisis in the history of that town. From henceforth it ceases to be the center of His activity, and is only occasionally, and in passing, visited. Indeed, the concentration and growing power of Pharisaic opposition, and the proximity of Herod's residence at Tiberias [3013] would have rendered a permanent stay there impossible at this stage in our Lord's history. Henceforth, His Life is, indeed, not purely missionary, but He has …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

History of the Interpretation.
1. AMONG THE JEWS. This History, as to its essential features, might, a priori, be sketched with tolerable certainty. From the nature of the case, we could scarcely expect that the Jews should have adopted views altogether erroneous as to the subject of the prophecy in question; for the Messiah appears in it, not in His humiliation, but in His glory--rich in gifts and blessings, and Pelagian self-delusion will, a priori, return an affirmative answer to the question as to whether one is …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

His Future Work
The Lord Jesus Christ, who finished the work on earth the Father gave Him to do, who is now bodily present in the highest heaven, occupying the Father's throne and exercising His priesthood in behalf of His people, is also King. To Him belongeth a Kingdom and a kingly Glory. He has therefore a kingly work to do. While His past work was foretold by the Spirit of God and His priestly work foreshadowed in the Old Testament, His work as King and His glorious Kingdom to come are likewise the subjects …
A. C. Gaebelein—The Work Of Christ

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