The Wrath of God in Daniel.

Daniel reveals very little, in fact next to nothing about the Wrath of God. Mostly just that there is coming a day of reckoning and a future kingdom of Christ. The Millennial Reign is not mentioned in terms of a limited length of time. Instead, it is rolled into the literal eternal kingdom of Christ on this earth. The Millennial Reign will begin the actual earthly presence of Jesus and His saints as rulers over the earth forever, but Daniel does not elude to it at all as a thousand year reign. In Chapter 2 the Wrath is described as breaking the other kingdoms in pieces.

2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

In Daniel 7 the Wrath is described as casting down illegitimate thrones, the beast being cast into the flames and the saints eventually taking the kingdom, which takes place at the very end of the Wrath at the Battle of Armageddon. Verses 26 and 27 say that the kingdom of the beast, and by extension the kingdoms of this world, will face the judgment that has been predetermined. That is the Wrath of God and His recovery of the earth from Satan and fallen man. Incidentally, Revelation 11:15 declares that the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of Christ. Kingdoms­plural. He is not coming to overthrow a one world government, but to take back a divided world with many nations. The kingdom of the beast is a combination of 10 nations, and it, along with the other nations, will be folded into the one world governing council of Jesus Christ that is mentioned in Daniel 2.

7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

10 A fiery stream 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.

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.

12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

22 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.

26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Daniel 8 speaks of the anti-Christ continuing his rebellion against God even during the Wrath of God as he gathers the armies of nations to the Battle of Armageddon to meet the Lord and His saints as they return to take back the earth.

8:25 ... he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

The consumption in Daniel 9 is the determined punishment of sinners that God will pour out upon them. Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.

9:27 ... even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Daniel 11, after giving much detail about the activities of the anti-Christ during the Tribulation, simply describes the Wrath of God as the time when the anti-Christ will see his end. The old prophets describe the Wrath usually in terms of the final event at Armageddon. It is not until we get into the Revelation that we learn about the other events that make up the Wrath of God that precede Armageddon, such as the stinging locust, bloody rivers, scorching sun, 200,000,000 horsemen and the two witnesses of the wrath.

11:45 ... yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

Most description of the anti-Christ in the Bible is of his Tribulation activities. When God’s wrath begins, the anti-Christ is on the earth experiencing that wrath with other sinners. It is not until he makes war against the two witnesses, begins gathering armies to Armageddon and the actual Battle of Armageddon that we see any activity out of the beast during the Wrath. During the first half of the Wrath with the Bloody rivers, hot sun, locust and horsemen we are not given details of his activities. Maybe he’s hiding in a hole until he works up his nerve again.

The prophecies of Daniel do not attempt to clearly differentiate between the two returns of Jesus. That is left primarily to the Revelation. Some of the verses that we read above show the Lord, the saints and the eternal kingdom at His second return to the earth. On His second return, He is not coming to rapture or rescue a second group of saints. He takes all of His people out of the earth all at one time on His first visit. His first visit hardly qualifies as a visit since He never leaves the clouds or touches the earth. He simply passes over and catches His saints up into the clouds and then takes them to the wedding feast. On the second visit He defeats the anti-Christ, sets foot on the mount of Olives and remains on the earth for a thousand years to reign over the survivors of God’s wrath until it is time for the White Throne Judgment and a new heaven and new earth.

The next two verse are the only ones in Daniel that speak of the Rapture, but we are seeing the Rapture from a very unique perspective. He is returning to heaven after completing the Rapture. He is returning to heaven in the clouds with His people. After returning to heaven, He approaches God and God bestows upon Him an earthly kingdom and authority over all nations. Before He returns again to rule over the earth and the nations, they must be punished. That’s not a problem because He has a wedding to attend. It’s not until after the wedding feast that He finally returns to reign.

7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

According to 1 Corinthians 15, the Resurrection occurs right before the Rapture, and Jesus puts down all rule and authority as he conquers the last enemy death. The Resurrection is the final defeat of death. He conquered death and the grave on the cross and during His own resurrection, but He does not exercise His full authority over it until He removes our bodies from the grave at the Resurrection on the last day.

These two verses agree with what Jesus said in Matthew 24. Jesus comes immediately after the Tribulation to gather His saints. However, the saints do not exercise their new judgment/authority until after the wedding feast of the Lamb at which time they return to the earth with Jesus to reign.

21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

22 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.

The bulk of the remaining Scriptures in these chapters either speak about the prophecy itself and the receiving of it, the different kingdoms leading to the Greek Empire and then the latter days version of the Greek Empire­the beast kingdom, and then the Tribulation and the troubles that the anti-Christ causes.