THE DIVINE COURT SITS

19. How did the Heavenly Court deal with the four “beasts”?

¹⁹ Referring to a time after the “small” horn has come into existence and has spoken grandiose things, Daniel continues on with describing his prophetic dream: “I kept on beholding until there were thrones placed and the Ancient of Days sat down. His clothing was white just like snow, and the hair of his head was like clean wool. His throne was flames of fire; its wheels were a burning fire. There was a stream of fire flowing and going out from before him. There were a thousand thousands that kept ministering to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand that kept standing right before him. The Court took its seat, and there were books that were opened. I kept on beholding at that time because of the sound of the grandiose words that the horn was speaking; I kept on beholding until the [fourth] beast was killed and its body was destroyed and it was given to the burning fire. But as for the rest of the beasts, their rulerships were taken away, and there was a lengthening in life given to them for a time and a season.”​—Daniel 7:9-12.

20. Why does “the Ancient of Days” need no books to consult?

²⁰ It is only here in this vision to Daniel that the immortal God who is without beginning is called “the Ancient of Days.” He has priority over everyone and everything else, he being their Creator. (Psalm 90:2) As the all-wise, all-righteous One who preceded all his creations, he rightly sits as the Judge of all things, our earth included. Since his days extend into the ancient past, he knows all past human history as if it were written in a book. Thus he has observed all four of those beastlike world powers in their course of action. He passes judgment upon them, not on the basis of what others testify, but according to what he knows about them directly. He does not have to consult a written record, containing accounts written by angels. In earthly human courts, lawbooks and reference books would have to be consulted. But not so with Jehovah, “the Ancient of Days.”

So, when the Anglo-American Dual World Power goes down into destruction under the fiery judgments of the Ancient of Days, those hornlike “kings,” as remnants of the Roman World Power, perish with it. (Daniel 7:23-26) But how about those empires, kingdoms, republics and political bodies that were never a part of the Roman Empire or of the Anglo-American Dual World Power, including the British Commonwealth of Nations? All these, too, must be destroyed when the Ancient of Days executes fiery judgment on this world.​—Revelation 16:13 through 19:21.

The Supreme Judge, the Ancient of Days, is in charge of our earth. He must do away with the man-made political governments of misrule and oppression in order to make room for the finest government that mankind could ever have. It will be an expression of his own Universal Sovereignty toward mankind’s earthly home.