Albert Barnes Commentary Daniel 7:10

"A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousands of thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened." — Daniel 7:10 (ASV)

A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him – Streams of fire seemed to burst forth from His throne. Representations of this kind are abundant in the Scriptures to illustrate the majesty and glory of God. Compare Revelation 4:5, And out of the throne proceeded lightnings, and thunderings, and voices. (Exodus 19:16; Habakkuk 3:4; Psalms 18:8).

Thousand thousands ministered to Him – “A thousand of thousands;” that is, thousands multiplied a thousand times. The mind is struck with the fact that there are thousands present – and then the number seems as great as if those thousands were multiplied a thousand times. The idea is that there was an immense – a countless host. The reference here is to the angels, and God is often represented as attended by great numbers of these celestial beings when He comes down to our world. (Deuteronomy 33:2), He came with ten thousands of saints; that is, of holy ones. (Psalms 68:17), the chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels. Compare Jude 1:14. The word “ministered” means that they attended on Him.

And ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him – An innumerable host. These were not to be judged, but were attendants on Him as He pronounced sentence. The judgment here referred to was not on the world at large, but on the beast, preparatory to giving the kingdom to the One who was like the Son of Man (Daniel 7:13–14).

The judgment was set – That is, all the arrangements for a solemn act of judgment were made, and the process of the judgment commenced.

And the books were opened – As containing the record of the deeds of those who were to be judged. Compare Revelation 20:12. The great Judge is represented as having before Him the record of all the deeds on which judgment was to be pronounced, and as being about to pronounce sentence according to those deeds. The judgment here referred to seems to have been some solemn act on the part of God transferring the power over the world, from what had long swayed it, to the saints.

As already remarked, the necessary interpretation of the passage does not require us to understand this as a literal and visible judgment – of a personal appearing of the “Ancient of Days,” of a formal application to Him by “One like the Son of Man” (Daniel 7:13), or of a public and visible transfer to Him of a kingdom on the earth.

It is to be remembered that all this passed in vision before the mind of the prophet; that it is a symbolic representation; and that we are to find its fulfillment in some event changing the course of empire – putting an end to the power represented by the “beast” and the “horn,” and causing that power to pass into other hands – producing a change as great on the earth as if such a solemn act of judgment had taken place.

The nature of the representation requires that we should look for its fulfillment in some great and momentous change in human affairs – some events that would take away the power of the “beast,” and that would cause the dominion to pass into other hands. On the fulfillment, see the notes on Daniel 7:26.