The Future Fortold

The Future Foretold

Daniel 7:1-14

I don’t know if you have noticed but mankind has always been infatuated with how the world will end. If you don’t believe me just look at the entertainment industry and the movies that have been produced over the years. Movies like Armageddon, Independence Day, The War of the Worlds, and the Day After Tomorrow speak of how obsessed we are with the end of the world.

You can hardly watch the news today without hearing politicians talk about the effects of climate change. They tell us that we are running out of time, and if we don’t do something we will destroy our planet with fossil fuels. However, that’s not something new, when I was a boy in the 70’s all the science pointed toward another global ice age, and they said, “if we don’t act now, we were all going to freeze to death within 10 years.”

In the 80’s our obsession turned to a nuclear holocaust. The cold war was at hand, and the movies and the protests were centered on nuclear disarmament. In the 90’s comets circling our planet became the crisis of the day. We needed an early warning system or some way of protecting ourselves from the extinction of mankind.

None of this is new. In fact, in the 1400’s there was a Frenchmen named Nostradamus who became famous for his end of the world predictions. Mankind has always been obsessed with how the world will end, but it is all rooted in unbelief, because the bible tells us how the world will end. It tells us that God is going to bring it to an end with the return of His Son Jesus Christ.

We are not going to destroy our planet. The bible tells us there will be one empire after another and people will be living just like they did in the days of Noah. Then God will judge the world and His Son will return like a thief in the night. Maybe if we believed what the bible teaches us, we could all just relax and drive our SUV’S. Maybe if we believed what the bible teaches us, we might just make the Lord a greater priority in our life.

Theme: God rules the kingdoms of the world, and He is building the final kingdom of people through His Son Jesus Christ. (Read Daniel 7:1-14)

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it.

2 Daniel said, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

3 “And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.

4 “The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.

5 “And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, ‘Arise, devour much meat!’

6 “After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.

7 “After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

8 “While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.

The Ancient of Days Reigns

9 “I kept looking

Until thrones were set up,

And the Ancient of Days took His seat;

His vesture was like white snow

And the hair of His head like pure wool.

His throne was ablaze with flames,

Its wheels were a burning fire.

10 “A river of fire was flowing

And coming out from before Him;

Thousands upon thousands were attending Him,

And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;

The court sat,

And the books were opened.

11 “Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire.

12 “As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.

The Son of Man Presented

13 “I kept looking in the night visions,

And behold, with the clouds of heaven

One like a Son of Man was coming,

And He came up to the Ancient of Days

And was presented before Him.

14 “And to Him was given dominion,

Glory and a kingdom,

That all the peoples, nations and men of every language

Might serve Him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

Which will not pass away;

And His kingdom is one

Which will not be destroyed. (Pray)

We are beginning our study in the book of Daniel again. We left off in chapter 6 at the end of March, just before Easter. As we read through chapter 7 you can’t help but notice the book is very different. We have come to a completely different style of literature.

Chapters 1 through 6 were narratives that described the historical setting of Daniel’s life of captivity in Babylon. Chapters 7 through 12 are prophetic and describe a series of dreams and visions detailing the future of mankind. I like how Warren Weirsbe described it. He said, “Chapters 1 through 6 represent Daniel the man. Chapters 7 through 12 represent Daniel the message.”

You see beginning in chapter 7 we have what is called apocalyptic literature. It is an ancient style of writing that uses bazaar symbols and imagery to convey its message. There are only a few places we find this in the bible: here in Daniel, parts of Ezekiel, and all the book of Revelation.

When we read this style of writing today, we can sometimes become frightened by the symbols and imagery, but it is important to understand, it is not intended to frighten us but to encourage us and strengthen us.

Because even though the writing style of Daniel has changed the theme of the book is the same; God rules the kingdoms of the world, and He is building the final kingdom of people through His Son Jesus Christ.

The question is, are you a part of that kingdom? When the Son of Man returns will you be with Him when He comes?

The first thing I want you to see in this passage is the setting of Daniel’s dream, Vs. 1-2. In these verses we learn Daniel was not only a man gifted by God to interpret the dreams of others, but God gifted him with his own dreams that would become scripture.

Verse 1 gives us a point of historical reference. We are told Daniel’s dream took place in the first year of the reign of King Belshazzar. Belshazzar is a name we should all be familiar with. He was the king who witnessed the ominous handwriting on the wall in chapter 5. However, that was the final night of his life, and the end of the Babylonian empire.

So, that tells us Daniel is no longer moving in chronological order, but he is writing of events that took place at least 14 years earlier. We know historically that Babylon was conquered in 539 BC. So, Daniel’s dream took place around 553, when Belshazzar and his father came into power. That means Daniel was somewhere around 65 years old as he is writing this., and he has been in Babylon for 52 years.

Notice the end of verse 1, Daniel writes down a summary of the events he saw. That means he doesn’t give us every detail. He just gives us the events he felt were important for us. The Holy Spirit is the divine author of scripture, and we have exactly what God intended for us to have. If there was more Daniel needed to tell us, God would have provided it.

Notice Vs. 2, Daniel saw four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea. This is an interesting visual. Typically, the wind blows in one direction, but here we have a divine wind from God, and it is blowing in every direction, but what is important is that God is the one doing it. He is in control of it all.

Also, the reference to the sea here has nothing to do with water. But typically, in apocalyptic literature it is a reference to the Gentile nations. I’ll give you a couple examples; Isaiah 17:12 says, “Alas, the uproar of many peoples. Who roar like the roaring of the seas, And the rumbling of nations Who rush on like the rumbling of mighty waters!” Revelation 17:5, “And he said to me, the waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.”

So, the setting of Daniel is describing a divine tornado from God. The winds of change are blowing on the Gentile nations, and it is all by God’s design. This describes chaos in the world. This is critical for us to understand today because we have this tendency to look at what is going on in the world and think it is out of control.

We see chaos in the Middle East, War in Ukraine, China is threatening Taiwan, and America is under siege on our southern border. However, it is all because the winds of change are blowing. We need to understand that God is still on the throne, and He is in control of the chaos.

The next thing I want you to see in this passage is the Beasts of Daniel’s dream, Vs. 3-8. There are two things that stand out to me about these beasts. First, they are ferocious. They are described as wild animals like we have never seen before. And second, Vs. 17 tells us they are kings. These are empires that rise to rule the world. Interestingly we still use images of animals today. For example, Britain uses the image of a lion. Russia is a bear, and the United States is represented by an eagle.

It is important to understand that Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel chapter 2 helps us to recognize who these 4 beasts are. The first beast we are told was “like a lion and had wings like an eagle.” We know this is Babylon. This is the head of gold from Nebuchadnezzars dream. Also, both Jeremiah 4:7 and Ezekiel 17:3, refer to Babylon as a lion and an eagle.

The second beast resembled a bear. This is the Medes and the Persians who conquered Babylon. The fact that it was raised up on one side speaks of how the Persians were more powerful and had greater influence than the Medes. They were one kingdom, yet they were divided. This beast had three ribs in its mouth. That is describing how the Medes and Persians conquered Lydia, Egypt, and Babylon as they rose to power.

Daniel’s book of the jungle continues with a third beast. This beast resembled a leopard, but it had four wings on its back like a bird, and it had four heads. We know historically this is the Greek empire that rose to power next. Interestingly, it is described as a leopard with wings. That speaks to how swiftly this animal moved. We know it only took Alexander the Great four years to conquer the known world. And what is even more compelling is the four heads. When Alexander died, the Greek empire was divided into four parts, and each part was given to one of his generals.

Then Daniel saw a fourth beast. This one was so ferocious he could not come up with an animal to describe it. He only says it had teeth like iron, and it devoured everything in its path. This is the fourth image of Nebuchadnezzars dream, the legs of iron and the feet of clay. We know this is the Roman Empire. They were ruthless and oppressive to the people they ruled over.

Some people might ask; why are there only four kingdoms described here if we are talking about the end times? That is because these were the four kingdoms that ruled the world until the time of the incarnation of Christ? When Jesus came into the world, He told us in Mark 1:15, “The time is fulfilled the Kingdom of God is at hand.” It was at that moment the rock was carved out of the mountain without hands and God began to build His kingdom.

Notice in Vs 7 the fourth beast had ten horns. In many ways the Roman Empire still exists, albeit fragmented into different factions that rule the European continent today. In the Bible horns represent authorities and kingdoms and rulers. The angel interpreting the dream for Daniel tells him that in Vs. 24. We believe this is a federation of nations that will come together in the last days to rule the world.

However, what is important is the little horn we see rise to power. Notice Vs. 8, it has eyes like a man and utters great boasts. That speaks of how this king will start small and insignificant but will grow mighty on the world scene. He will have a vision to lead and speak in a way that others will follow.

James Montgomery Boice writes, “This seems to be the first biblical reference to the individual later described in the Bible as the Antichrist. He appears in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, as the man of lawlessness doomed for destruction.” And is seen again in the book of Revelation.”

The angel makes that clear to Daniel in Vs. 25 he says, “He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One; and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and a half time.” In other words, he will rise to power for three and a half years and establish himself as the ruler of the world. This is a time that we refer to as the great tribulation.

There is so much detail we could talk about in these verses but what is important is we see the world continuing with one kingdom after another. We spend all our time worrying about how we are destroying our planet when what we should be concerned about is our political leaders. The bible refers to them as wild beasts who devour and oppress the people they rule over. What is scary is we give them the authority over our lives and that will make it easy for Satan in the last days to persecute God’s people.

Daniel saw an incredible show in vs. 3-8 but in the words of BTO, Buchman, Turner and Overdrive, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” The next thing we see in this passage is the Judgment of Daniel’s dream, Vs. 9-12. Daniel is ushered into a heavenly courtroom and what we have described here is “The day of the Lord.” This is the throne judgment. The sentencing of the beast and his disciples.

First, I want you to notice the word “thrones” because there are more than one throne in heaven. Look at Vs. 9, “I kept looking until thrones were set up.” But who would be sitting on thrones in heaven. The best interpreter of scripture is scripture itself and this takes us to John’s vision in Revelation 4:4 it says, “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.”

Now we don’t know who these elders are, some scholars believe they are angels. Others believe they represent the twelve tribes and the twelve apostles. We really don’t know, but what is important is God’s people are involved in the Judgment of the world. That speaks to how God always involves His people in His work.

Your relationship with God is more than just a way for you to go to heaven, but it is a means for God to accomplishing His purpose in the world. God has a purpose and a plan for your life, and it is God’s desire that you will one day rule and reign with Him.

Then I want you to notice the appearance of God. His clothing was white as snow. That speaks of holiness and purity. The hair of His head was like pure wool. This is speaking of someone who is aged and has wisdom. Daniel is the only one that calls God the ancient of days.

His throne was ablaze with flames and its wheels were a burning fire.” This speaks of His purifying righteousness and presence. There are no limits or restrictions on God. He sees everything and He is everywhere. Psalm 97:3 tells us that fire goes before Him and burns up His enemies on every side.

I am amazed at the continuity of the bible because throughout scripture God is seen as an all-consuming fire. Remember in the Exodus when God’s people came out of Egypt, He led them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When they came to Mt. Sinai, He descended on the mountain in smoke and fire. When Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal, fire fell from heaven and the same thing will be true on the day of judgment. He will burn His enemies with a purifying fire.

I want you to notice the reference to the books being opened in Vs. 10. This speaks to the accountability that is coming. We think we get away with sin in the world. We think we have gotten away with our unrighteous acts of evil, but the bible tells us there is a record being kept in heaven and that one-day man will have to give an account for every unrighteous word we have spoken.

Charles Spurgeon tells a story of a man who was put on trial for his life. And when he realized the verdict was going to be coming in, at any moment, he ran to his lawyer in desperation and said, “have you done all that you can do? Is there anything that’s been left undone? Because if I lose this case my life is over.

That is the same question each one of us needs to ask ourselves before we leave this world. Is there anything that has been left undone? Have you made your peace with God? Is Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior and have you been born again? Because if you lose your case at the judgment seat of God it is for eternity.

Finally, in Vs. 11-12 the beast is sentenced and it’s that simple. It anticlimactic, while he is still spewing his hatred for God, he is destroyed, his body is burned and it’s over. There is no battle that takes place, you don’t go to war against God.

The purpose of this passage is to teach us there is a day of judgment coming, and it doesn’t matter how much time passes. God is in control, and He is the righteous judge of the world. The question is which side of this judgment do you come down on. Will you be judged with the beast, or will you stand with the Savior.

The next thing I want you to see in this passage is the King of Daniel’s dream, Vs. 13-14. What we see here is God taking dominion away from the world and giving it to His Son.

Notice there are two persons who take center stage in Daniel’s vision: One like a son of man, and the ancient of days. We know the ancient of days is referring to the eternal Father of heaven, but who is the son of man? Well Jesus claimed this tittle for Himself. In fact, this is the name that He used for Himself more than any other name in the New Testament. 80 times He referred to Himself as the Son of man.

The most compelling of these is in Matthew 24:29-31 where He almost quotes Daniel verbatim. When speaking of His return He says, “You will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with power.” Coming on the clouds speaks of His divinity and His authority. He didn’t hesitate to refer to Himself as the son of man Daniel was talking about and neither should we.

This dream of Daniel began with monsters coming out of the sea, but it ends with a man coming out of heaven. The question is do you know that man because His name is Jesus. He is the king of kings and the Lord of Lords. He came the first time as a lamb who died to take away the sin of the world but when He returns, He will be the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

What we have here in Daniel 7 is a description of corporate judgment. The judgment of the beast and the rulers of the world, but make no mistake, we will each stand in judgment before God. The question is will you stand before Him based on your merits and how you have lived your life, or will you stand on the work of redemption that came through the Son of Man on the cross?

That is the opportunity given to each one of us while we are alive and remain. The time to make Christ your King is now. God offers us the gift of salvation through His Son. So, when you look out at this world we live in, you don’t need to be afraid, but you can grow in your faith and commitment to God. Because He rules the kingdoms of the world, and He is building the final kingdom of people through His Son Jesus Christ.