This prophecy does not predict an earthly political revolution, but describes the conclusion of the great controversy between Christ and the forces of evil after the heavenly judgment and the Second Coming of Jesus.<\/em><\/p>\n The seventh chapter of Daniel shows the historical succession of earthly empires represented by beasts, as well as the rise of the \u201clittle horn\u201d\u2014a power that opposes God and persecutes His faithful ones. Yet earthly history does not end with the triumph of violence or religious apostasy. Daniel sees a heavenly judgment in which the authority of the hostile power will be taken away, and the Kingdom will belong to God.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever.\u201d Dan. 7:26<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n After this comes the promise concerning the saints of the Most High. It continues the previous vision, where the \u201cSon of Man,\u201d that is, Jesus Christ, receives royal authority from the Ancient of Days\u2014God the Father.<\/p>\n \u201cThen to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.\u201d Dan. 7:13-14<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Thus, the kingdom belongs first of all to Christ. But He, the Savior and King, shares the fruits of His victory with His people.<\/p>\n There are several connected stages in the prophecy. From the Adventist perspective, the heavenly judgment shown in Daniel 7 precedes the visible return of Christ. It is not needed for God to obtain information, because God knows all things; it is a judgment open before the universe, showing the justice of God\u2019s decisions and the faithfulness of those who have accepted salvation in Christ.<\/p>\n The final fulfillment of Daniel 7:27 will come after the Second Coming, the millennium, and the final destruction of sin. When Christ returns, He will resurrect the righteous and take His people to Himself. After the millennium, the judgment upon evil will be completed, and God will create a new earth. Then the saints will inherit the kingdom in its fullness.<\/p>\n \u201cThen comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.\u201d 1 Cor. 15:24-25<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cNow I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.\u201d Rev. 21:1<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Ellen White, in the book The Great Controversy, describes this event as the restoration of the world that was lost through sin: after the final cleansing of the earth, God\u2019s people receive their eternal inheritance. This is not the temporary rule of one group over another, but life in God\u2019s restored order, without death, pain, or sin.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.\u201d Rev. 21:4<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The \u201csaints\u201d in Daniel are not people who have earned eternal life by their own moral perfection. They are God\u2019s people who belong to Him by faith, receive Christ\u2019s grace, and remain faithful to God amid trials. In the context of the chapter, they are those persecuted by the anti-God power, yet vindicated and delivered by God.<\/p>\n The kingdom is not \u201ctaken\u201d by the saints through force. It is given to them as Christ\u2019s gift. The saved will reign not independently of Him, but together with Him, serving Him as kings and priests.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.\u201d Rev. 5:10<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The expression \u201call dominions shall serve and obey Him\u201d means all dominions, authorities, and kingdoms. First of all, this stands in contrast to the beastly kingdoms at the beginning of Daniel 7. Earthly empires rose up, claimed absolute power, persecuted God\u2019s people, and in the end disappeared. God\u2019s Kingdom, by contrast, is eternal.<\/p>\nIts place in the prophecy of Daniel 7<\/h2>\n
When will this happen?<\/h2>\n
Who are the \u201csaints of the Most High\u201d?<\/h2>\n
What do \u201call dominions\u201d mean?<\/h2>\n