Daniel’s visions end with the victory of Christ. Daniel’s vision do not extend beyond the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 ad
Daniel tells us the length of time during which the little horn will wage war against “the law.” It will be “for a time, two times, and half a time” (7:25). These times are meant to be added together: one year, plus two years, plus half a year. This is an ancient way of saying three and a half years.
That coincides precisely with events in the first century. Jewish Zealots burned the Roman ruler’s palace, slaughtered the garrison of Roman soldiers, killed the high priest Ananias and burned his palace, and put an end to the morning and evening sacrifices for Caesar in the Temple.
In response, the Roman general Cestius marched on Jerusalem and burned much of the city. Yet his expedition against Jerusalem was a disaster for Rome, and he lost six thousand soldiers in his retreat. Caesar Nero was outraged and declared war against Jerusalem in February of 67 A.D. General Vespasian was dispatched at the head of a Roman army. This was the beginning of the Jewish-Roman War.
The “little horn” who had been making “war with the saints,” even to the point of wearing “out the saints of the Most High,” now turned his wrath on “the law” that forbade worship of him (7:21, 25). That war upon “the times and the law” lasted three and a half years. By April of 70 A.D., the son of Vespasian, General Titus, had tightened the noose of the final siege of Jerusalem.
The Roman army had even come from the north, just as Ezekiel 38 and 39 had predicted.
In August of 70 A.D., the Temple of Jerusalem fell before the Roman army of Titus. The Temple was torched and systematically dismantled, piece by piece. This destruction of the Temple was the end of 2nd temple Judaism.
Just as Daniel had predicted, Nero declared war in February of 67 A.D., and Jerusalem’s Temple fell in August of 70 A.D. Count the months. The Jewish-Roman War lasted forty-two months, precisely three and a half years. Jerusalem was to “be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time.”
Daniel tells us that “with the clouds of Heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His Kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:13–14).
Daniel describes the Son of man as coming “to the Ancient of Days.” When He comes, He is “presented before Him” (7:13). The Son is traveling to the Father in Heaven for the ceremonial bestowal of His Kingdom
This prophecy does not describe the coming of the Son of man back to earth at all! Rather, this prophecy concerns the time when Jesus is recognized as the victor over sin because of the Cross. He is publicly given what is rightfully His: God’s Kingdom.
Jesus applied this prophecy to Himself before the Sanhedrin.
Here is what our Lord said at His trial: “I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of Heaven” (Matt. 26:64). Jesus told the men judging Him that they would see the coming foretold by Daniel. Since the Sanhedrin’s court was not in Heaven, but in Jerusalem, Jesus is expanding the venue of Daniel’s vision
The lifetime of the Sanhedrin overlaps with the time frame of this vision in Daniel. Daniel has been describing the little horn, which symbolizes Nero. Was there any public evidence that Jesus was the spiritual victor over the Old Covenant and its leadership during the times of Nero? Hold on to that question, because the answer is an emphatic yes. I can almost hear you gasp, “Wait just one cotton-pickin’ minute! Are you implying that we must believe that the second coming of Christ occurred in 70 A.D.?” Of course not
this coming of Daniel’s vision could not possibly be a prediction of the second coming at the final eschaton
judge. The high priest understood this threat clearly and decided that Jesus had to die. Although Christ certainly received His Kingdom no later than at His Ascension, the Sanhedrin never saw evidence of that. There was only one event that occurred during the generation of the Sanhedrin that would show them the Christ was their Judge. The public event that evidenced the coming of Christ in victory was the destruction of Jerusalem’s Temple in 70 A.D., as instigated by the little horn, Nero. It was a public judgment that clearly proved to all mankind that Jesus was the victor in Heaven over His enemies on earth. No other event created the instantaneous, worldwide publicity necessary to illustrate to the Sanhedrin that Christ was seated at the right hand of the Father. Just as God judged Egypt with the Assyrian army, Christ judged Jerusalem with the pagan Roman army in 70 ad