I beheld till thrones were set, and the Ancient of days did sit his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was flames of fire, [and] its wheels burning fire.
Daniel's night vision shifts without warning. The beasts rising out of a churning sea give way to a courtroom, where One takes His seat in snow-white clothing on a throne of fire.
Older English Bibles read "the thrones were cast down," which suggests destruction. Commentators differ on the wording. One says the true reading is "set up," which the ESV's "thrones were placed" carries. Another says both words come to the same thing. Either way, this is not God steering events from behind the scenes. It is a court sitting down.
"I saw until the thrones were set up." That is how it ought to read, instead of "cast down." This is not just my opinion. It is the way the best ancient and modern translations of Scripture all understand it... There you have a clear picture of the divine glory in judgment. It is not just God working through providence on the earth, but the process of judgment that God Himself will set up.
The wording comes from a courtroom custom, and the court has records to open.
"Cast down," or "placed," as in the Revised Version, both really mean the same thing. The reference is to the Eastern custom of throwing down cushions for the judges to sit on... This judgment is set, and the books are opened. The court looks into how the Gentile Empires used the power God granted them. The great Judge of all examines the doings of the little horn in particular.
The court does not assemble at random. It answers something said out loud.
Afterwards the thrones are set, and the Ancient of days sits. It is a session of judgment, the throne of Jehovah's judgment; it is not said where, but its effect is on earth. The words of the little horn are what set the judgment in motion. It falls on the beast, which is destroyed, and its body given to the flames. The other beasts lost their dominion, but their lives went on. The fourth loses its life along with its dominion.
The title points to the eternal God — and the same chapter shows who holds it. This session is also not the last judgment.
That the Ancient of days is the Eternal God is beyond question. It is just as clear, from verse 22 and from Revelation 1, that the Son of man is the Ancient of days, the Eternal God. God has committed all judgment to Him because He is the Son of man. Scripture plainly declares the scene before us to be a session of judgment — not the session of judgment of the Great White Throne in Revelation 20, but a session for the judgment of the living... in preparation for the setting up of His kingdom.
Daniel and John see the same Person. Each shows a different half of the picture.
In the Revelation the two glories are both united in the Person of Christ. Revelation 1 shows us one like the Son of man. But when we come to the description of Him, some of the features are exactly the same as the ones given here to the Ancient of days. His garment is said to be as white as snow, the hair of His head like pure wool, and so on. The Jewish prophet sees Christ simply as man. The Christian prophet sees Him as man, but as God as well.
Fire marks the throne, its wheels, and the stream flowing out. Scripture uses that image with a settled meaning.
The throne was like a fiery flame, its wheels as burning fire, and a fiery stream came out from before Him. Fire is always a symbol in Scripture of the holiness of God applied in judgment.
Daniel counts more than one throne, yet names only one occupant. John's vision fills in the rest.
When Daniel beheld the thrones, not "cast down" but "set up," he speaks of no one sitting but One, the Ancient of days. When John saw thrones, others were sitting on them, and judgment was given to them.
Another writer says who those other thrones are for.
Not one throne, but many; for the glorified saints are to have part in this judgment.
- Provocation — The boasting of the little horn brings the court into session. Defiance of God has a limit.
- Session — The thrones are set up, not cast down. A court sits, the books open, and the Gentile empires answer for how they used their power.
- Person — The Ancient of days is the eternal God. Verse 22 and Revelation 1 show the Son of man with the same snow-white features.
- Fire — The flaming throne is holiness applied in judgment. This court judges the living, not the session of the Great White Throne in Revelation 20.
- Result — The fourth beast alone loses its life along with its dominion, and the way opens for the Son of man's kingdom.
A stream of fire issued and came forth from before him; thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
Daniel's night vision moves from a parade of beast-like empires to a courtroom of fire, with countless attendants and open books. Three questions follow: who is on trial, when does this court sit, and what do the books hold?
Older Bibles read "cast down." That sounds like thrones toppling. One writer says the words mean the opposite.
"I saw until the thrones were set up." That is how it should read, instead of "cast down." This is not just my opinion. The best ancient and modern translations of Scripture all read it this way. There you see a clear picture of the divine glory in judgment. This is not just God's ordinary working in events on the earth. It is the process of judgment that God Himself will set up... At whatever time this may be supposed to take place, it is clear that it is a divine judgment.
Flame runs through every detail — the throne, its wheels, the stream pouring out from before Him. Commentators read that fire as a settled biblical symbol.
That the Ancient of Days is the Eternal God is beyond doubt. It is just as clear, both from verse 22 and from Revelation 1, that the Son of man is the Ancient of Days, the Eternal God. All judgment has been committed to Him because He is the Son of man... The throne was like a fiery flame, and its wheels like burning fire. A fiery stream came out from before Him. Fire is always a symbol in Scripture of the holiness of God as applied in judgment.
Readers often place this court at the very end of time. One writer points instead to what its verdict produces.
The scene described is like the judgment of the wicked after the thousand years in Revelation 20, and many suppose it is the same. But however common this mistake is, what is described here is the carrying out of judgment on earth. It is the transfer of power from the hand of man to that of Christ... What is the result declared here? It is the destruction of the horn and of the beast. It is the transfer of the "kingdom, dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven" into the hands of the Son of man, with all His saints.
Daniel counts two groups: thousands who serve, and myriads who stand. One writer says who they are and what they do.
Surrounding the throne are thousands of angelic beings. Carrying out judgment is one of the functions of the angels. Matthew 25 describes the judgment of the living nations. It opens with the Son of Man coming to His throne of glory, "and all the holy angels with him" (Matthew 25:31).
Daniel sees thrones in the plural, yet he names only one occupant. One writer turns to Revelation for the rest.
Daniel has already spoken of these thrones: "I saw," he says, "until the thrones were placed"... "and the Ancient of Days did sit" (Daniel 7:9). But there was then no word about who occupied the thrones. It is the part of Revelation to fill in the picture on its heavenly side, and to show us who these are. They are not angels. There may be "principalities" among the angels, but Scripture never says they will reign with Christ. They are redeemed men.
God does not need reminding. The books are read as evidence produced in public, against the boastful power Daniel had just been watching.
God will take public and formal notice of the acts and words of this daring enemy. It is for this purpose that the books will be opened (v. 10). Those books will hold perfectly accurate records of this ungodly sinner's deeds. The sentence will be passed as the glory of Him who will sit on His holy throne demands.
- Court. The thrones are set up, not cast down: God opens a formal court session, not a slow drift of history.
- Judge. The One seated is the Ancient of Days, the Eternal God, and the Son of man. The fire around Him is His holiness applied in judgment.
- Attendants. Thousands serve and myriads stand. They are angels, and carrying out judgment is part of their work.
- Records. The opened books hold an exact account of one man's deeds. The sentence answers to the glory of the One on the throne.
- Verdict. Not the end of the world, but the end of the beast. Power passes from the hand of man to Christ and His saints.