5. The coming of the Ancient of Days, in this vision of Daniel’s, is not to this world, but to the place of his judgment scene. With regard to the place of this tribunal we will speak hereafter. We have already proved that this session of the judgment precedes the second advent, and that it is not held upon our earth. This fact establishes the truthfulness of this proposition.
6. The destruction of the power represented by the little horn does not take place at the time when the Ancient of Days sits in judgment, but at a point still later, when the Son of man descends in flaming fire.
We have proved that when our Lord comes to this earth the second time, he comes as
king, and must therefore come
from the tribunal of his Father; for at that tribunal the kingdom is given to him. But the man of sin, or little horn, is destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s coming.
2 Thessalonians 2:8;
1:7-10. Whence it follows that the destruction of the Papacy is not at the Father’s judgment seat, but at the advent of his Son, at a still later point of time. But were it true that the judgment scene of
Daniel 7 is opened by the personal revelation of God the Father to the inhabitants of our earth, we may be sure that there would be no man of sin left to be destroyed afterward by the brightness of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have already proved that the destruction of the wicked power is when Christ comes to our earth, and that he does not thus come till he has first attended in person this tribunal of his Father. And to this statement agree the words of
verse 11: “I beheld
then because of the voice of the
great words which the horn spake; I beheld even
till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.” It appears that even
while this grand tribunal was in session, the attention of the prophet was called by the Spirit of God to the great words which the horn was speaking. “I beheld
then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake.” But Daniel does not represent his destruction as coming at once even then. He says: “I beheld even
till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.” The period of time covered by this “till” is thus filled up: The Son of God comes to his Father’s judgment-seat and receives the dominion, and the glory, and the kingdom, then descends to our earth in flaming fire, like that which comes forth from before his Father, and by the brightness of his advent destroys the little horn.
2 Thessalonians 1, 2. It is when our Lord thus comes that this wicked power is given to the burning flame.
And this is really the very point marked in
verses 2l, 22 for the termination of the war against the saints: “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of Days came, and
judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” But even while the Most High sits in judgment to determine the cases of his saints, the little horn is, according to
verse 11, uttering great words against God. When, however, the saints have passed the test of this examination, and are counted worthy of the kingdom of God, their Lord, being crowned king, returns to gather them to himself. It is at this very point of time, the advent of the Lord Jesus, that
judgment is given to the saints of the Most High, as is proved by comparing
1 Corinthians 6:2, 3 with
1 Corinthians 4:5. And thus we have marked again the advent of Christ as a point of time for the destruction of this wicked power.