Did you know that the prophet Daniel predicted there would be exactly 11 kings leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans?
We’ve been exploring two prophetic threads: the eternal Kingdom of God and the judgment on Judah. If you’re new to these ideas, check out the first two articles in this series. Today, we’ll show how these threads are tied together, using Daniel’s visions to connect them to the New Testament.
The Kingdom and the Judgment on Judah: Connecting the Threads
Let’s take a look at Daniel 7
Daniel saw a vision of four great beasts coming up from the sea – A lion with eagle’s wings, a bear with three ribs, a leopard with four wings, and a terrible beast with iron teeth. The fourth best had 10 horns.
[Dan 7:3-7 NASB20] 3 “And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.
4 “The first [was] like a lion but had [the] wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and set up on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.
5 “And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs [were] in its mouth between its teeth; and they said this to it: ‘Arise, devour much meat!’
6 “After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
7 “After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
On the fourth beast, another horn, a little one, came up and uprooted three of the previous horns.
[Dan 7:8 NASB20] 8 “While I was thinking about the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the previous horns were plucked out before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like human eyes, and a mouth uttering great [boasts.]
He then saw “one like a Son of Man” being ushered to the Ancient of Days to receive a kingdom.
[Dan 7:9-10, 13-14 NASB20] 9 “I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took [His] seat; His garment [was] white as snow, And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne [was] ablaze with flames, Its wheels [were] a burning fire.
10 “A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were serving Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court convened, And the books were opened.
13 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a son of man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him.
14 “And to Him was given dominion, Honor, and a kingdom, So that all the peoples, nations, and [populations of all] languages Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.
He learned these beasts represented four kingdoms. These were the four kingdoms to reign over the Jewish people in succession – Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. He was given understanding on meaning of the fourth beast. The ten horns on the fourth beast represented ten kings. An eleventh king would then arise and uproot three of the previous kings. He would oppress the Jewish people for 3 1/2 years.
[Dan 7:23-27 NASB20] 23 “This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth which will be different from all the [other] kingdoms, and will devour the whole earth and trample it down and crush it.
24 ‘As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will humble three kings.
25 ‘And he will speak against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be handed over to him for a time, times, and half a time. 26 ‘But the court will convene [for judgment,] and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.
After this, this one like a Son of Man would receive a kingdom in heaven and world dominion would shift from the fourth beast to the people who serve this “Highest One”, .
Dan 7:27 NASB20] 27 ‘Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of [all] the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom [will be] an everlasting kingdom, and all the empires will serve and obey Him.’
History Matches the Prophecy
The prophecy said the eternal Kingdom would follow a period of conflict involving the 11th king of Rome and the Jewish People. From the time Rome annexed Judea until the First Jewish Roman War, there were eleven kings.
Nero, the seventh king, sent his General Vespasian to put down a revolt in Jerusalem. This kicked off the First Jewish Roman War. Two years into the war, Nero committed suicide which plunged the Roman empire into a civil war. Three men vied for the throne in one year – Galba, Otho and Vitellius – and each were either killed or committed suicide. General Vespasian left his son General Titus to continue the First Jewish – Roman War while he claimed control of the empire. He was the 11th horn who Daniel saw who uprooted three of the previous horns. He presided over the remaining 3 1/2 years of the war (69 AD – 73 AD) fulfilling the 3 1/2 years Daniel saw in his vision.
| Daniel 7 |
| 1. Pompey the Great – annexed Jerusalem in 63 BC |
| 2. Julius Caesar |
| 3. Augustus Caesar – emperor at the birth of Christ |
| 4. Tiberius – emperor at the start of Christ’s ministry |
| 5. Caligula |
| 6. Claudius |
| 7. Nero – started the First Jewish Roman War / committed suicide |
| 8 Galba – uprooted horn – Year of Four Emperors |
| 9. Otho – uprooted horn – Year of Four Emperors |
| 10. Vitellius – uprooted horn – Year of Four Emperors |
| 11. Vespasian – little horn – First Jewish Roman War |
So, if we can see the fulfillment of the conflict Daniel saw, what was the fulfillment of the “Son of Man” and the kingdom.
Judgment Before the Kingdom
Daniel actually saw the judgment that had been decreed on the nation of Judah. Jesus came, was crucified, and ascended 40 years prior to this judgment to provide a way of escape. He was the promised Redeemer.
Jesus confirmed the judgment.
[Luk 21:20-24 NASB20] 20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. 21 “Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are inside the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; 22 because these are days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled. 23 “Woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people; 24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until [the] times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
He identified Himself as the “Son of Man” Daniel saw in his vision.
[Luk 21:27 NASB20] 27 “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
The Book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ as this Son of Man. It aligns with Daniel and warned of this same judgment.
| Daniel 7 – Emperors in View | Revelation 17 – Emperors in View |
| 1. Pompey the Great | |
| 2. Julius Caesar | |
| 3. Augustus Caesar | |
| 4. Tiberius – Start of Christ’s Ministry | 1. Tiberius – Start of Christ’s Ministry |
| 5. Caligula | 2. Caligula |
| 6. Claudius | 3. Claudius |
| 7 Nero | 4. Nero |
| 8. Galba | 5. Galba |
| 9. Otho | 6. Otho |
| 10. Vitellius | 7. Vitellius |
| 11. Vespasian – Judgment on Judah / First Jewish Roman War | 8. Vespasian – Judgment on Judah / First Jewish Roman War |
| Eternal Kingdom of Christ / the “Son of Man” | Eternal Kingdom of Christ / the “Son of Man” |
Like Daniel, The Book of Revelation let’s us know this judgment on the nation of Judah was the marker showing the Kingdom of Heaven has started.
[Rev 11:15 NASB20] 15 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become [the kingdom] of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.”
Questions from the Comments
1. How do we know Pompey is the first king on Daniel’s list?
Daniel 11:41 describes Pompey entering the “beautiful land” (Judea) and sparing Edom, Moab, and Ammon. Historical records confirm these regions weren’t annexed by Rome until later, placing Pompey at the start of the timeline.
2. Why did Vespasian’s rule matter so much?
Vespasian marked the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. His reign saw the destruction of the temple, ending the Temple Age, and the full establishment of the eternal Kingdom under Jesus.
3. What is the significance of the 11 kings?
The 11 kings connect Daniel’s prophecy to the historical events leading to the destruction of Jerusalem. This precise fulfillment shows how the Bible’s prophecies align with real-world history.
4. How does this tie to the eternal Kingdom?
The eternal Kingdom began during the Roman Empire, as Daniel predicted. Jesus, the Son of Man, received dominion, fulfilling the prophecy that “His Kingdom will never be destroyed.”
Prophecy Fulfilled: Confidence in Jesus
The Bible’s detailed prophecies—like the four kingdoms, 11 kings, and the destruction of the temple—show how God’s plan unfolded in history. These events confirm that Jesus is who He claimed to be: the King of the eternal Kingdom.