Daniel 7:26

1. In speaking of a "lioness from the sea," he meant the rising of the kingdom of Babylon, and that this was the "golden head of the image." And in speaking of its "eagle wings," be meant that king Nebuchadnezzar was exalted and that his glory was lifted up against God. Then he says "its wings were plucked off," i.e., that his glory was destroyed; for he was driven out of his kingdom. And the words, "A man's heart was given it, and it was made stand upon the feet of a man," mean that he came to himself again, and recognised that he was but a man, and gave the glory to God. Then after the lioness he sees a second beast, "like a bear," which signified the Persians. For after the Babylonians the Persians obtained the power. And in saying that "it had three ribs in its mouth," he pointed to the three nations, Persians, Medes, and Babylonians, which were expressed in the image by the silver after the gold. Then comes the third beast, "a leopard," which means the Greeks; for after the Persians, Alexander of Macedon had the power, when Darius was overthrown, which was also indicated by the brass in the image. And in saying that the beast "had four wings of a fowl, and four heads," he showed most clearly how the kingdom of Alexander was parted into four divisions. For in speaking of four heads, he meant the four kings that arose out of it. For Alexander, when dying, divided his kingdom into four parts. Then he says, "The fourth beast (was) dreadful and terrible: it had iron teeth, and claws of brass." Who, then, are meant by this but the Romans, whose kingdom, the kingdom that still stands, is expressed by the iron? "for," says he, "its legs are of iron." 2. After this, then, what remains, beloved, but the toes of the feet of the image, in which "part shall be of iron and part of clay mixed together? […]

For he says, "It was given into his hand for time and times and half a time," [Daniel 7:25] which signals three-and-a-half years, and after these things the coming judgment, for he says, "thrones were set and the judgment sat and the kingdom was … the beast was given to the burning of fire." [Daniel 7:9-11, 26-27] For, "the time approached," [Daniel 7:22] that is, all at once the time was fulfilled and the saints possessed the kingdom, when the Judge of judges and the King of kings in the future comes from heaven, who shall remove every chief and power which opposes him and shall consume all in an eternal fire, punishing the unrighteous, but he shall give to his slaves both prophets and martyrs and to all who fear him the eternal kingdom.

"Then the court shall sit in judgment" in order to revenge the tribulations of the holy ones and of the righteous ones, who preserved the law of the Most High, and in order to punish and destroy Antiochus, the little horn, by whom the Zealots …

The blessed Paul also teaches more clearly to … the Thessalonians, and through them he teaches all lovers of godliness. He says that we should not think that the enemy of truth will appear now, for first the error of the idols, which now holds …

But if so great a power is shown to have followed and to be still following the dispensation of His suffering, how great shall that be which shall follow His glorious advent! For He shall come on the clouds as the Son of man, so Daniel foretold, and His angels shall come with Him. These are the words: [quotes Daniel 7:9-28]