What does Daniel 7:25 mean by "changing times and laws"? Immediate Literary Context Daniel chapter 7 records a night vision in the first year of Belshazzar (mid-550s BC). Four successive beasts symbolize four Gentile empires. The final, dreadful beast spawns a “little horn” that usurps authority, blasphemes God, persecutes the faithful, and is finally destroyed by the Ancient of Days. Verse 25 summarizes the horn’s program of sedition: speech against God, war on the saints, and the intent to “change times and law.” --- Historical Background 1 – Babylon (605-539 BC), Medo-Persia (539-331 BC), Greece (331-168 BC), and Rome (168 BC-AD 476) align with the four beasts. 2 – Jewish and early Christian writers (Josephus, Irenaeus, Hippolytus) saw the “little horn” partially foreshadowed in Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 BC), who outlawed circumcision and Sabbath-keeping (1 Macc 1:44-50). 3 – Yet the horn’s dominion for “a time, times, and half a time” (3 ½ years) coincides with the eschatological Antichrist in Daniel 9:27; 12:7 and Revelation 13:5-7, indicating a future, climactic fulfillment. --- Hebrew–Aramaic Word Study • “Times” (עִדָּן, ʿiddān): appointed seasons, cycles, festival periods. • “Law” (דָּת, dāṯ): a decree, statute, or divinely revealed ordinance. Daniel previously declared, “He changes times and seasons; He removes kings” (2:21). Only God legitimately alters times; the horn arrogates that divine prerogative. --- Meaning of “Changing Times” 1 – Liturgical Calendar: Abolishing or re-scheduling the God-ordained feasts (Leviticus 23) that proclaim redemptive history—Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Booths. 2 – Sabbath Rhythms: Replacing the seven-day cycle established at creation (Genesis 2:2-3). Historical precedent: the French Revolutionary ten-day week, Soviet five-day week—both failed experiments that illustrate humanity’s inability to rewrite God’s rhythm. 3 – Prophetic Timetables: Attempting to nullify God’s eschatological schedule—particularly the decreed 70 weeks (Daniel 9:24-27). --- Meaning of “Changing Laws” 1 – Moral Law: Redefining good and evil; legalizing what God forbids and criminalizing obedience (cf. Isaiah 5:20). 2 – Civil-Religious Law: Centralizing global authority, dismantling national constitutions, persecuting conscience. 3 – Covenantal Law: Targeting Israel and the Church, echoing Antiochus’ edicts that banned Torah observance. --- Partial Historical Foreshadowings • Antiochus IV sacrificed a pig on the temple altar (Dec 16, 167 BC) and compelled Jews to eat swine’s flesh—concrete examples of altering “times” (feasts) and “law” (Torah). • Roman emperors from Nero to Diocletian enacted laws forbidding Christian assembly and Scripture possession. • Modern totalitarian regimes (Nazism, Communism) rewrote calendars—e.g., “Himmlerkalender” and “Soviet Revolutionary holidays”—and legislated anti-biblical morality, previewing the horn’s pattern. --- Future Eschatological Fulfillment Revelation 13 describes a beast given “authority to act for forty-two months” (3 ½ years) and to “make war with the saints” (vv.5-7). Paul notes the “man of lawlessness” who “opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). These texts converge with Daniel 7:25: a future global ruler will institute a counterfeit calendar and legal system to erase God’s revelation, yet his reign is strictly limited (“time, times, and half a time”) by divine decree. --- Canonical Intertextual Connections • Daniel 2:21—Only God rightly changes times. • Daniel 9:27—“In the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering.” • Daniel 12:7—Persecution of the holy people for “a time, times, and half a time.” • Revelation 11:2-3; 12:6, 14; 13:5—Parallel 42-month/1,260-day periods. • Matthew 24:15—Jesus identifies the “abomination of desolation” of Daniel as future. The Messiah’s endorsement validates Daniel’s predictive inspiration. --- Archaeological and Manuscript Corroboration • Dead Sea Scrolls: 4QDana, 4QDanb, and 4QDand (ca. 125 BC) contain Daniel 7, pre-dating Antiochus’ demise and confirming the prophecy preceded the events it foreshadows. • Nabonidus Cylinder and Verse Account authenticate Belshazzar as co-regent, matching Daniel 5. Critics once deemed Belshazzar fictitious until the cylinder’s 1854 discovery. • Elephantine Aramaic papyri (5th cent BC) mirror Daniel’s Imperial Aramaic, underscoring chronological integrity. • Canon attestation: Daniel is in the Septuagint (ca. 250-150 BC) and cited in 1 Q/Florilegium and by Jesus (Mark 13:14), establishing an early, authoritative status. --- Theological Implications 1 – Divine Sovereignty: God sets temporal and moral boundaries; rebellious humanity cannot annul His decrees. 2 – Human Depravity: The horn’s endeavor illustrates humankind’s ultimate rebellion—dethroning God by legislative fiat. 3 – Perseverance of the Saints: Though “the saints will be given into his hand,” the limitation of time and the final judgment promise victory. 4 – Christological Hope: The vision climaxes with the Son of Man receiving an everlasting kingdom (Daniel 7:13-14), fulfilled in the crucified-risen Christ (Matthew 26:64; Revelation 5:6-10). --- Practical Application for Believers • Discernment: Recognize any culture-wide attempt to redefine God-ordained institutions (marriage, Sabbath rest, sacred seasons) as precursors of the horn’s agenda. • Courage: Expect opposition yet rest in God’s predetermined limits on evil. • Worship: Align life rhythms with God-set times—weekly worship, memorial feasts fulfilled in Christ, anticipation of His return. • Evangelism: Use fulfilled prophecy as a bridge to present the risen Christ, whose kingdom will never be destroyed. --- Summary “Changing times and law” refers to a blasphemous bid to rewrite God’s calendar and commandments. Historically adumbrated by Antiochus IV and totalitarian regimes, it awaits ultimate realization in the Antichrist, whose brief reign is bounded by God’s timetable and terminated by the eternal dominion of Christ. The verse thus calls every generation to trust the sovereign God who alone changes times, to uphold His law, and to find refuge in the resurrected King. |
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