27. greatness of the kingdom under . . . whole heaven--The power,
which those several kingdoms had possessed, shall all be conferred on
Messiah's kingdom. "Under . . . heaven" shows it is a kingdom
on earth, not in heaven.
people of . . . saints of . . . Most
High--"the people of the saints," or "holy ones"
(Da 8:24,
Margin): the Jews, the people to whom the saints stand in a
peculiar relation. The saints are gathered out of Jews and Gentiles,
but the stock of the Church is Jewish
(Ro 9:24; 11:24);
God's faithfulness to this election Church is thus virtually
faithfulness to Israel, and a pledge of their future national blessing.
Christ confirms this fact, while withholding the date
(Ac 1:6, 7).
everlasting kingdom--If everlasting, how can the kingdom here
refer to the millennial one? Answer: Daniel saw the whole time of future
blessedness as one period. The clearer light of the New Testament
distinguishes, in the whole period, the millennium and the time of the
new heaven and new earth (compare
Re 20:4
with Re 21:1
and Re 22:5).
Christ's kingdom is "everlasting." Not even the last judgment shall end
it, but only give it a more glorious appearance, the new Jerusalem
coming down from God out of heaven, with the throne of God and the Lamb
in it (compare
Re 5:9, 10; 11:15).
JFB.
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