Question: Please explain the latter part of Daniel 12:7: “…And when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.”
Answer: Let us first establish the true identity of who “he” is. The first part of this verse says, “And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half;…” In the seventh chapter of Daniel is recorded a vision Daniel had of four beasts which came up from the sea (verse 3) and a description of each one; but the focus is on the fourth beast beginning at verse seven. In verse 25 it says, “And ‘he’ shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” The time span here is the same as in Daniel 12:7. Dividing of time here is the same as the half time in Daniel 12:7. In Revelation 13:1 we see a beast rising up out of the sea. The following verses describe him and his character and what he will do, and verse five says power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. The time span here is the same as in Daniel 12:7 and 7:25. “A time” in these texts is a year, “times” is two years, and “a half” or “dividing of time” would be six months. This amounts to 42 months and corresponds with the duration of the beast of Revelation 13. These two beasts (Daniel 7 and Revelation 13) possessed the same character and disposition. The beast in Daniel 7 spoke great words against the most High and wore out the saints of the most High (verse 25). The beast of Revelation 13 opened his mouth in blasphemy against God and all holy things (verse 6) and he was given power to make war with the saints and to overcome them. (Verse 7.) Daniel’s beast of Daniel 7 and John the Revelator’s beast of Revelation 13 were identical.
Now to identify the “he” of Daniel 12:7 let us return to Daniel 7:17. “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.” History records four universal kingdoms: Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece and Rome. Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar had visions which referred to these four kingdoms, but the focus was always on the fourth one; the Roman. This is because it was to be in existence at the time Jesus Christ appeared on the earth to establish His kingdom, and the first major conflict of the Church was with this power. Daniel 7:23 says that this kingdom was to be diverse from all kingdoms, and surely it was. It was a combination of church and state a political-religious system with the religious entity in the preeminence. Rome had its emperor, but he held his office and authority subject to the will of the pope, and all other political rulers throughout the world did too. The pope was the absolute head and ruler of the universal Catholic church and held absolute authority over all dignitaries, both politically and ecclesiastically throughout the world. There was never another kingdom in the world before or since like this one. Paul, writing of him in II Thessalonians 2:4, said, “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” Also in II Thessalonians 2:9 Paul says, “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” This is the “he” spoken of in the last part of Daniel 12:7 who was to “scatter the power of the holy people,” the saints of the most High God who are the only holy people on the earth. Revelation 13:7 says, “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” The last part of this verse shows the universal scope of this vast religious system and its head.
Revelation 13:1 describes a beast that arose up out of the sea, to whom power was given over all kindreds, tongues and nations. Note that it came up out of the sea. Revelation 17 gives quite an extensive description of this same beast but in this case a vile harlot woman is riding upon his head and it is said that this woman sat upon many waters. Verse 15 explains that the waters were peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. This makes it clear that this system rose right up from among the people; it was totally of human origin as distinguished from the true kingdom of God which originated in heaven and came down from heaven to earth. The double symbol used here, (the scarlet colored beast and the woman riding upon its head) signifies the twofold nature of this vile, corrupt system political (the beast) and religious (the woman). The kings of the earth committed fornication with her (Verse 2.) In other words, the kings and rulers of all the kingdoms of the earth consorted with her and supported her. She was a vile, corrupt woman and had a cup in her hand full of the abomination and filthiness of her fornication. She was called, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” (Verse 5.) Verse six says she was drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. It was this corrupt, vile, abominable, apostate, human system of religion that was responsible for the bitter persecution and horrid death of many millions of the true people of God who refused to embrace this false, apostate, abominable human system of religion down through the 1260 years (42 months, or time, times and dividing of time) during what is called “The Dark Ages” of this dispensation of time. This is the “he” referred to in Daniel 12:7 who was granted to “scatter the power of the holy people.”
The scattering of the power of the holy people in Daniel 12:7 was accomplished by them being driven from public view, into seclusion, or “underground” in the more modern vernacular, being compelled to worship in secret and hidden places, in the dens and caves of the earth, etc. In other words, scripturally, “the WOMAN (true Church of God, the “holy people” fled into the wilderness (seclusion), where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” This time period corresponds to the time period allotted to the beast of Daniel 7 and Revelation 13.
“…All these things shall be finished” (Daniel 12:7) refers to all that the Scripture says about the beast and the power given unto him and what he would do in opposition to the saints and the truth. Those prophecies all came to an end and were fully accomplished at the end of the time period allotted to the beast to operate. Also, the idea of universal kingdoms in the earth was finished and closed when the Roman empire was dissolved and came at an end. There will never be another universal kingdom of men upon the earth. The only universal kingdom existing now is the kingdom of God and it will endure forever, even forever and ever; it shall never be destroyed. (Daniel 2:44; 7:13-14).
