In Daniel 7 we read:
"I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him... I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." (Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14)
In short, Daniel prophesied of a great gathering that would take place in the last days, just preceding the second coming. It would be a meeting attended by the Savior, by Adam, and by many others - a meeting that would determine when the governments of men end and Lord's millennial reign begins.
The End of Degenerate Governments
In this same prophecy, Daniel describes the destruction of all human governments, beginning with that of Chaldea, Persia, Babylonia and ancient Greece/Rome (the four beasts) and ending with degenerate latter-day governments:
"I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time." (Daniel 7:11-12)
The Fourth Beast
Note that he clarifies the fourth beast to be ancient Rome:
" I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them... The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." (Daniel 7:19-21,23-25)
Ancient Rome was the only nation that destroyed all other nations in the known world. The ten horns or the seven heads and three kings are a reference to the emperors of Rome - caesars who ruled after the republic became an empire. John the Revelator uses this same language to describe the beast that persecuted the saints of his time in fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy. (see Revelation 12:3, 13:1, 17:7)
New Era May 1973 - Revelation: The Plainest Book Ever Written
Latter-Day Governments
Daniel goes on to describe "the rest of the beasts" who lived for a time but whose dominions were also ultimately to be taken away. There are a handful of places in scripture where the Lord or his prophets tell us that at this point, He will "make a full end of all nations" preparatory to His millennial reign. (see Jeremiah 30:11, 46:28, Doctrine & Covenants 87:6)
Even now, we see this prophecy being fulfilled. Those of us who know the commandments of God and recognize the consequences of the world's disobedience to them can see all nations of the earth slowly progressing toward their own self-destruction, as it were in unison, almost as though it were choreographed. To me, this is a sign that we are nearing the end of the sixth seal, and we are very near to the opening of the seventh. The only thing that now stands between the world and the seventh seal is the great persecution that will lead to all nations gathering against Israel to battle and to threats against the lives, property and freedoms of all believers in God or Christ. (Zechariah 14:2, John 16:2-3, compare Daniel 3) This too is beginning to take place all around the world. Already Christians have been declared the most persecuted minority in the world, and it has been prophesied to get much worse. It will have to get bad enough to stop the growth of the Church and halt the amassing of priesthood authority (see my article on the 144,000 sealed in their foreheads).
Prager University: Christians are the most persecuted minority in the world
The Wrong Shall Fail, The Right Prevail
Believers watch and worry that servants of the devil are being permitted to set up what amounts to Satan's kingdom, all over the world. That which Satan sought to do in the pre-mortal existence he now seeks to repeat here on earth. (see Isaiah 14:12-17, Moses 4:1-6, Abraham 3:24-28)
But we can rest assured that the Lord will not permit the kingdom of the devil to fully establish itself; nor will He allow it to destroy His kingdom. When a full end of the nations is made, it will be done by the Lord and not by Satan. That means when all is said and done, The Lord and His saints will be there to aid, to comfort, to house, to feed, to heal, to rebuild, and to preach the gospel as ever we have done since the beginning.
An angel told Daniel:
"...at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." (Daniel 12:1)
When the dust settles, the Lord will personally see to the establishment of peace, liberty, and prosperity the like of which the world has long coveted but never known!
All Dominions Shall Serve and Obey Him
Daniel tells us how the Lord will establish a kingdom and a dominion that will never be destroyed:
"I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed... the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Thus he said, But the judgment shall sit, and they (God and His saints) shall take away his (Satan's) dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." (Daniel 7:13-27)
Notice how Daniel says "all dominions shall serve and obey him". To me, this means that, while the governments of nations shall come to a full end, the nations themselves will continue to exist. Their governments will be rebuilt and reorganized under the kingdom and dominion of God. Brigham Young reportedly said that after a full end of the nations was made, the flag of the United States of America would once again "be unfurled to the breeze", once again stand for a republic - "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all!" I expect this will be the case for all the nations of the earth.
BYU Speeches: America will still exist during the Lord's millenial reign
Daniel prophesied that the kingdom and dominion that would never be destroyed would be the kingdom of God:
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever... thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold..." (Daniel 2:44-45)
He prophesied that the kingdom would belong to His saints. See chapter 7, verses 18 and 22 again:
"...the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever... the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." (Daniel 7:18, 22)
Anciently, Isaiah prophesied that in the latter days the Lord would overcome the great apostasy and the destruction of His church and once again set up His ecclesiastical kingdom:
In latter days, in the years leading up to the establishment of His Church, the Lord repeated multiple times the words of Isaiah, saying: "A marvellous work is about to come forth among the children of men..." (Doctrine & Covenants 4:1, 6:1-6, 12:1-6, 14:1-10) The Church was established on April 6, 1830 and thereafter the Lord made no more utterances of this kind. Isaiah's prophecy had been fulfilled; the Lord had set up once again in the earth "[His] church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints." (see Doctrine & Covenants 115:4)
Despite this talk of "breaking in pieces" and "consuming all kingdoms", the world need not fear that the Church will ever own battle tanks or fighter jets - this is not a political kingdom. To put it in the words of the Savior, "my kingdom is not of this world." (John 18:36)
As it has been propheised, the wicked will be destroyed at the coming of Christ. In the absence of the wicked, the saints of God will fill the offices of government. Inasmuch as God rules over His saints, to this extent He will rule the nations of the earth during His millenial reign. I believe there will still be separation of church and state in a functional sense, however the members of the Church will be free to pray in public places; decisions made in government will in many cases be decided by prayerful scripture study and personal revelation in addition to the study of political science, economics, and history - the same processes by which our Founding Fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
link to founding fathers prayerful study
founding fathers waited for the restoration
Ensign October 1992 - Religion in a Free Society
Ensign November 1987 - Our Divine Constitution
For more information about the establishment of the kingdom of God in latter days, see my other articles:
Signs of the Second Coming: Apostasy and The Restoration
General Apostasy/Restoration Foretold (in the Bible)
General Apostasy/Restoration Fulfilled (as recorded in latter-day scripture)
https://www.lds.org/new-era/1985/10/qa-questions-and-answers?lang=eng
"I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him... I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." (Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14)
In short, Daniel prophesied of a great gathering that would take place in the last days, just preceding the second coming. It would be a meeting attended by the Savior, by Adam, and by many others - a meeting that would determine when the governments of men end and Lord's millennial reign begins.
The End of Degenerate Governments
In this same prophecy, Daniel describes the destruction of all human governments, beginning with that of Chaldea, Persia, Babylonia and ancient Greece/Rome (the four beasts) and ending with degenerate latter-day governments:
"I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time." (Daniel 7:11-12)
The Fourth Beast
Note that he clarifies the fourth beast to be ancient Rome:
" I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them... The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." (Daniel 7:19-21,23-25)
Ancient Rome was the only nation that destroyed all other nations in the known world. The ten horns or the seven heads and three kings are a reference to the emperors of Rome - caesars who ruled after the republic became an empire. John the Revelator uses this same language to describe the beast that persecuted the saints of his time in fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy. (see Revelation 12:3, 13:1, 17:7)
New Era May 1973 - Revelation: The Plainest Book Ever Written
Latter-Day Governments
Daniel goes on to describe "the rest of the beasts" who lived for a time but whose dominions were also ultimately to be taken away. There are a handful of places in scripture where the Lord or his prophets tell us that at this point, He will "make a full end of all nations" preparatory to His millennial reign. (see Jeremiah 30:11, 46:28, Doctrine & Covenants 87:6)
Even now, we see this prophecy being fulfilled. Those of us who know the commandments of God and recognize the consequences of the world's disobedience to them can see all nations of the earth slowly progressing toward their own self-destruction, as it were in unison, almost as though it were choreographed. To me, this is a sign that we are nearing the end of the sixth seal, and we are very near to the opening of the seventh. The only thing that now stands between the world and the seventh seal is the great persecution that will lead to all nations gathering against Israel to battle and to threats against the lives, property and freedoms of all believers in God or Christ. (Zechariah 14:2, John 16:2-3, compare Daniel 3) This too is beginning to take place all around the world. Already Christians have been declared the most persecuted minority in the world, and it has been prophesied to get much worse. It will have to get bad enough to stop the growth of the Church and halt the amassing of priesthood authority (see my article on the 144,000 sealed in their foreheads).
Prager University: Christians are the most persecuted minority in the world
The Wrong Shall Fail, The Right Prevail
Believers watch and worry that servants of the devil are being permitted to set up what amounts to Satan's kingdom, all over the world. That which Satan sought to do in the pre-mortal existence he now seeks to repeat here on earth. (see Isaiah 14:12-17, Moses 4:1-6, Abraham 3:24-28)
But we can rest assured that the Lord will not permit the kingdom of the devil to fully establish itself; nor will He allow it to destroy His kingdom. When a full end of the nations is made, it will be done by the Lord and not by Satan. That means when all is said and done, The Lord and His saints will be there to aid, to comfort, to house, to feed, to heal, to rebuild, and to preach the gospel as ever we have done since the beginning.
An angel told Daniel:
"...at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." (Daniel 12:1)
When the dust settles, the Lord will personally see to the establishment of peace, liberty, and prosperity the like of which the world has long coveted but never known!
All Dominions Shall Serve and Obey Him
Daniel tells us how the Lord will establish a kingdom and a dominion that will never be destroyed:
"I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed... the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Thus he said, But the judgment shall sit, and they (God and His saints) shall take away his (Satan's) dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." (Daniel 7:13-27)
Notice how Daniel says "all dominions shall serve and obey him". To me, this means that, while the governments of nations shall come to a full end, the nations themselves will continue to exist. Their governments will be rebuilt and reorganized under the kingdom and dominion of God. Brigham Young reportedly said that after a full end of the nations was made, the flag of the United States of America would once again "be unfurled to the breeze", once again stand for a republic - "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all!" I expect this will be the case for all the nations of the earth.
BYU Speeches: America will still exist during the Lord's millenial reign
Daniel prophesied that the kingdom and dominion that would never be destroyed would be the kingdom of God:
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever... thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold..." (Daniel 2:44-45)
He prophesied that the kingdom would belong to His saints. See chapter 7, verses 18 and 22 again:
"...the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever... the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." (Daniel 7:18, 22)
Anciently, Isaiah prophesied that in the latter days the Lord would overcome the great apostasy and the destruction of His church and once again set up His ecclesiastical kingdom:
"For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered... Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." (Isaiah 29:10, 13-14)
In latter days, in the years leading up to the establishment of His Church, the Lord repeated multiple times the words of Isaiah, saying: "A marvellous work is about to come forth among the children of men..." (Doctrine & Covenants 4:1, 6:1-6, 12:1-6, 14:1-10) The Church was established on April 6, 1830 and thereafter the Lord made no more utterances of this kind. Isaiah's prophecy had been fulfilled; the Lord had set up once again in the earth "[His] church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints." (see Doctrine & Covenants 115:4)
Despite this talk of "breaking in pieces" and "consuming all kingdoms", the world need not fear that the Church will ever own battle tanks or fighter jets - this is not a political kingdom. To put it in the words of the Savior, "my kingdom is not of this world." (John 18:36)
As it has been propheised, the wicked will be destroyed at the coming of Christ. In the absence of the wicked, the saints of God will fill the offices of government. Inasmuch as God rules over His saints, to this extent He will rule the nations of the earth during His millenial reign. I believe there will still be separation of church and state in a functional sense, however the members of the Church will be free to pray in public places; decisions made in government will in many cases be decided by prayerful scripture study and personal revelation in addition to the study of political science, economics, and history - the same processes by which our Founding Fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
link to founding fathers prayerful study
founding fathers waited for the restoration
Ensign October 1992 - Religion in a Free Society
Ensign November 1987 - Our Divine Constitution
For more information about the establishment of the kingdom of God in latter days, see my other articles:
Signs of the Second Coming: Apostasy and The Restoration
General Apostasy/Restoration Foretold (in the Bible)
General Apostasy/Restoration Fulfilled (as recorded in latter-day scripture)
https://www.lds.org/new-era/1985/10/qa-questions-and-answers?lang=eng
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