Is Anyone In Control?

I’m not sure about you, but I’ve been thankful through our study in Daniel to be reminded that God is in fact in control. We’ve seen this throughout chapters 1-6 of this book and today, as we transition into chapter 7, we’ll see this truth once again on full display! Over the last few months, the Lord has used this study providentially to encourage me to remember His sovereignty in a very chaotic time in our world and I pray this has been encouraging to you as well as I know many of you are walking through personal difficulties and challenges. God is good and He is in control.

Today we begin the second half of Daniel and the second half has the same theme as the first: God is In Control! But we enter into a completely different genre. We move from Historical Narrative as we see many famous stories in the first few chapters of this book. Now we move into Apocalyptic Literature and Prophecy. This is where many pastors skip ahead or where some Christians like to camp out permanently. Neither are appropriate, though. The next few months will be challenging, difficult, and at times frightening to read what the Bible says - but there is hope. This week was exhausting - I can genuinely say that this is the most that I’ve studied for any single sermon as I read over 400 pages of commentaries and spent hours in prayer pondering how to preach this text.

Apocalyptic literature is a completely different animal than the first 6 chapters. Some books and commentators and pastors think that they know all the answers to what we find in Daniel 7-12. If you read Jack Van Impe, John Hagee, Tim LaHaye or a certain commentator or author, this might seem like it’s straightforward and easy to understand. As we press forward, we’ll see that this is hardly the case. This vision terrified Daniel. It was hard to understand. As some have said, this is the most comprehensive and detailed prophecy in the entire Old Testament. It’s full of pictures and animals and metaphors that can confuse us… but we know that our God is faithful. He is in control. He will defeat every earthly power. So, as we begin, let’s do so thankful for the work of Jesus Christ. Thankful for the faithfulness of our God. Grateful for the victory that is found exclusively in Him. Let’s dive into Daniel 7 together

Daniel 7 CSB

1 In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream with visions in his mind as he was lying in his bed. He wrote down the dream, and here is the summary of his account. 2 Daniel said, “In my vision at night I was watching, and suddenly the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea. 3 Four huge beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. 4 “The first was like a lion but had eagle’s wings. I continued watching until its wings were torn off. It was lifted up from the ground, set on its feet like a man, and given a human mind. 5 “Suddenly, another beast appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side, with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up! Gorge yourself on flesh.’ 6 “After this, while I was watching, suddenly another beast appeared. It was like a leopard with four wings of a bird on its back. It had four heads, and it was given dominion. 7 “After this, while I was watching in the night visions, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, frightening and dreadful, and incredibly strong, with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and it trampled with its feet whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns. 8 “While I was considering the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. And suddenly in this horn there were eyes like the eyes of a human and a mouth that was speaking arrogantly. 9 “As I kept watching, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was white like snow, and the hair of his head like whitest wool. His throne was flaming fire; its wheels were blazing fire. 10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from his presence. Thousands upon thousands served him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was convened, and the books were opened. 11 “I watched, then, because of the sound of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued watching, the beast was killed and its body destroyed and given over to the burning fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was removed, but an extension of life was granted to them for a certain period of time. 13 I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. 14 He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed. 15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was deeply distressed within me, and the visions in my mind terrified me. 16 I approached one of those who were standing by and asked him to clarify all this. So he let me know the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘These huge beasts, four in number, are four kings who will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever, yes, forever and ever.’ 19 “Then I wanted to be clear about the fourth beast, the one different from all the others, extremely terrifying, with iron teeth and bronze claws, devouring, crushing, and trampling with its feet whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three fell—the horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke arrogantly, and that looked bigger than the others. 21 As I was watching, this horn waged war against the holy ones and was prevailing over them 22 until the Ancient of Days arrived and a judgment was given in favor of the holy ones of the Most High, for the time had come, and the holy ones took possession of the kingdom. 23 “This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms. It will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. Another king, different from the previous ones, will rise after them and subdue three kings. 25 He will speak words against the Most High and oppress the holy ones of the Most High. He will intend to change religious festivals and laws, and the holy ones will be handed over to him for a time, times, and half a time. 26 But the court will convene, and his dominion will be taken away, to be completely destroyed forever. 27 The kingdom, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the holy ones of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey him.’ 28 “This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts terrified me greatly, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”

Lions, Bears, Leopards, Fires, and Kingdoms… What do we see in Daniel 7? We see a world at war. What do we see as we look around our world? A world at war. Who wins? Is anyone truly in control? Though the nations rage, kingdoms rise and fall, there is still 1 king reigning over all. Do you know this King? Let’s pray to Him and give Him thanks today.

Earthly Kingdoms Are Not In Control (1-8)

Humans have always been fascinated by kingdoms and power. In our text this morning we come across 4 kingdoms early on and throughout Daniel 7. Power isn’t a bad thing as we talked about a few weeks ago, power is given by God. However, some people wrongly believe that because they have power, they are the one in complete control of the situation. They are the master of their own fate. Over and over in Daniel and throughout Scripture, we see that this isn’t true - we’re reminded that it is God who is control of the situation. Even as Daniel is in exile in Babylon with his fellow Israelites, this truth is meant to encourage them to trust in the Lord and remember who truly is the king on the throne. We can’t read the book of Daniel without realizing that the people of God were being persecuted. They were in exile. They needed Biblical encouragement in this season. This is the purpose of eschatology - study of the end times - to encourage God’s people to know that God is in control and that He wins!

It seems like everyone has their own view when it comes to that word, eschatology. The study of last things. Some churches and denominations have very specific charts, timelines, and views. Our article of faith, the BFM 2000 says this, “God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end.” I believe that every one of us can and must affirm this, amen? I don’t care if you’re pre trib, post trib, premil, amil, postmil, or panmil… but I do care if you’re a jerk about eschatology… and there are a bunch of eschatological jerks out there. Shame on us whenever we allow a beautiful doctrine meant to encourage God’s people to cause division in God’s Church!

Historically, God’s people have been a suffering people. Today it is estimated that 365 million Christians around the world live in areas that are considered “high risk” for their faith. For comparison, that is more than the population of the United States. This is a lot of people! These individuals could easily get discouraged and believe that God has abandoned them. That God is not in control. That these evil leaders and empires are in control. This is why the books of Daniel and Revelation are among the most popular books for the persecuted church around the world and throughout history. These empires and kingdoms don’t win - they are not in control… but it sure looks that way at times, doesn’t it?

Look in our text, Daniel has been in Babylon nearly 50 years by this point. He’s on Medicare by this point as he’s no longer the teenager he was when Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem, he’s a senior citizen as Belshazzar is ruling in Babylon. Belshazzar was king back in chapter 5, so we’re going backwards chronologically here. We see that Daniel has a dream - and this is interesting because we know that Daniel is able to interpret dreams and we see him do this in chapters 2, 4, and 5… but here God doesn’t give a dream to a pagan king, He gives this dream to His faithful servant. God is communicating and encouraging His people with this message and the messages that come. Let’s dive into this vision that Daniel has: The 4 winds of heaven stir up the great sea and he see’s 4 beasts emerge.

Notice this, 4 winds are directional, and God is the one stirring up the nations. The nations are raging but this is no surprise to our God - read Psalm 2, why do the nations rage? They conspire against the Lord and His anointed One (Jesus) - God laughs at them. Why? Because God is sovereign over these nations. These kingdoms have power but it is a borrowed power, a given power, a temporary power.

Daniel 2:21 CSB

21 He changes the times and seasons; he removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.

The sea in the ancient world represented chaos and confusion. What we are seeing in the text is nations coming to power that oppose God and the people of God.

Consider the beasts that follow - first a beast that was like a lion with eagle’s wings. As some commentators have said, it is as though we’re entering a video game or we’re watching a movie all of a sudden. It’s hard for us to imagine these creatures in Daniel 7-12 and the beasts that we find in Revelation as well. This is kind of like a jungle book, a video game, our interest peaks… these are world powers that oppose God and His people. Who could this first one be? Thankfully, we’re able to draw back on Daniel 2 as chapters 2 and 7 parallel one another. In chapter 2, Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and the first part of the dream in chapter 2 was a golden head and Daniel says this in Daniel 2:38

Daniel 2:38 CSB

38 Wherever people live—or wild animals, or birds of the sky—he has handed them over to you and made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.

The symbol of Babylon was a lion. The first kingdom being discussed here is universally understood to be Babylon. This mighty lion with eagle’s wings, we would say that this is a power up of sorts. But what happened? It’s wings were torn off. What could that mean? Remember chapter 4 with Nebuchadnezzar? He lost his mind and went insane. We could say he lost his wings and the nation of Babylon at that moment began to slowly crumble from within. Babylon was a major power for 70 years - significant. But then another beast appeared.

Remember chapter 5? Who conquered Belshazzar? The Persians. We see this second beast is a bear with 3 ribs in its mouth. This beast had a desire for conquest and power and control. The Persian empire was said to be more massive and vast than any empire to that point in human history. They swallowed up towns, cities, and nations.

What about the third beast? A leopard that had 4 wings and 4 heads? This would have been a remarkable and fearsome hunter. Another power up in this modern video game of sorts. For you cat people, this might be your favorite! This is Greece under the command of Alexander the Great. Alexander was routinely outnumbered by massive amounts, yet he routinely won. His empire stretched from modern day India to Egypt in the south and Macedonia to the north. Following his death at the age of 32, Alexander split his kingdom into 4 provinces and we’ll see more of this in the chapters to come… but Daniel is telling us what is going to happen hundreds of years before it happens! This beast has 4 heads - this empire will be split into 4 parts and rule over much of the world… but it too will come to an end and the 4th beast will emerge!

Who could this be? Most commentators agree that this is Rome. The next major world power. This is the major view in the early church and throughout history. We’re not told what this kingdom is like unlike the first 3 with their animal descriptions. We’re simply told that this is a kingdom that crushes all the others like Iron does. It is a kingdom of power and evil. A kingdom of darkness that we will see opposes God. A kingdom with 10 horns with 1 little one and human eyes and a mouth that speaks very arrogantly. This is confusing and frightening. We can’t even visualize what this looks like! But everyone wants to know: Who are these 10 horns and what is this little horn? If you were to make the Atlantic Ocean ink, it all might be dried up with all of the books and works written to investigate this very question. Some argue that these are 10 rulers, 10 countries, 10 provinces.

Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome… these kingdoms, especially the final one terrifies Daniel! These earthly kingdoms have much power and abilities. We look around our world today and we see many countries with destructive capabilities and power hungry leaders. It’s easy to get discouraged as we look out. But this isn’t our call. Our call is to look up. This is what happens in Daniel’s vision

Earthly Kingdoms Are Under God’s Control (9-14)

Daniel immediately and abruptly transitions from these beasts to the throne room. It’s as if God is grabbing his attention from the midst of this scary and terrifying situation and saying, hey Daniel stop worrying about that and fix your eyes up here instead! This calls us back to Hebrews 12

Hebrews 12:1–2 CSB

1 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

It’s as if we can’t see God for the first few verses and now we can’t “not” see God. He is actively in control. Look at this incredible picture - thrones were set in place and then the Ancient of Days Himself took His seat on His throne. Daniel is the only author use the phrase Ancient of Days to describe God. This isn’t to say that God is ancient in the sense that He is old news or frail and about to break like we might say that something is ancient or ancient history or outdated. This is in reference to God being wise, eternal, and powerful. He is bigger and better than anything we can imagine. Look at this throne - we see fire and thousands of servants in this court and we see that His throne has wheels as if to suggest that the throne moves around. Meaning this: God is present everywhere - meaning that His righteous judgment is also everywhere. There is no place to hide from Him or to escape His judgment! He has everything under control. Not only are there a few servants but there are ten thousand ten thousand - the highest word they had for a number was ten thousand, so to say ten thousand times ten thousand is to say that this is the highest number imaginable - they can’t even be counted! Look at what our righteous God does - He judges this little horn that was speaking blasphemous and arrogant things. When this judgment came upon the little horn we see that it is destroyed completely in burning fire. The other 3 beasts no longer have their dominion, literally their sovereignty, but they at least do exist temporarily for a period of time.

We see God’s majesty and power on full display here. He is seated on His Throne as both Judge and King. This is the center of this chapter and the center of Daniel, for that matter. It’s pointing us to the power of our God as King of Kings, but look at verse 13 - we see something fascinating here, not only is this about our God but also about the Son of Man. Who is this Son of Man?

On one hand you have all of these ferocious beasts… on this other hand you have one like a Son of Man. These four beasts come out of the sea - they are from this world. Here we have the Son of Man coming with the clouds - this is what God does. This individual is divine. So, who is he? Some speculate that the Son of Man is an angel like Gabriel or Michael. Others believe it is Daniel himself or the nation of Israel. None of these is satisfactory! Fast forward to the New Testament and we see this phrase show up a bunch - 81 times in the Gospels, in fact!

Mark 10:45 CSB

45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Who came to serve and give His life as a ransom for many? None other than Jesus Christ! This is one of Jesus’ favorite phrases to describe Himself in the Gospels, especially in Mark’s Gospel. So, this one like a son of man who approaches the Ancient of Days is none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God!

Directions matter here. The son of man approached the Ancient of Days on the clouds. Where is God’s throne? Not like the Greek Gods on Mt. Olympus, our God rules and reigns in heaven. The son of man is going up to approach the Father. When did Jesus Christ go up to heaven? His ascension. This is so important - so often as believers we think that this is regarding the 2nd coming when Jesus returns and consummates His Kingdom but Jesus has already gone to glory and inaugurated His Kingdom. He is ruling today. Daniel 2 told us that the statues and kingdoms of this world will be shattered - it is God’s kingdom alone that lasts forever and it’s all because of Jesus. Psalm 110 is the most frequently references OT passage in the New Testament and it shares with us that Jesus is seated and His enemies are made into His footstool. This is happening now. God rules and reigns over creation now - not partly, but completely!

Jesus is our living hope. He is the Savior of sinners. He rules and He reigns today. We can be a part of His kingdom today by faith! You don’t have to wait until you’re a certain age to be a member of this kingdom. You don’t have to wait for Jesus to return to be a part of it either. Look at Colossians 2 at what Jesus has done for His people

Colossians 2:14–15 CSB

14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

Our risen Savior ascended to glory and was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that includes people of every nation, tribe, and tongue. Friend, if you’re a part of this everlasting kingdom, are you serving Him today? Are you worshiping Him faithfully?

The center of Daniel is telling us that there is a kingdom that reigns over the nations of this world and a king who is king over all kings. This text is pointing us to Jesus as we know that all of Scripture is ultimately pointing us to Jesus!

God’s Kingdom Destroys All Others (15-28)

We remember that Daniel is in exile. We remember that God is the one in control, not these earthly kingdoms. This encourages Daniel and the other Israelites in exile. This should encourage each of us today as well as we remember how the story ends. Jesus is ruling and reigning. His Kingdom has begun. As believers, we’re members of this eternal Kingdom. Therefore, we don’t have to be afraid today. But that doesn’t mean that our lives become easy… far from it. Daniel is troubled and terrified based on what he saw in this dream. There are seasons in life, believers, where we struggle. There are times where the opposition looks so vast and strong that we question what will happen to us - how on earth will this thing work out? In those moments, it’s helpful to pan out to a place like Daniel 7:13-14 and remember our hope in Jesus. As Adrian Rogers shared many years ago, “God has not promised you smooth sailing, He has promised you a safe landing.”

Friends, this is our hope as believers. We know how the story ends. This doesn’t mean that the days are easy - they’re hard more times than not. The battle rages on, but the war is won. God’s kingdom destroys all others.

Daniel has hope about the end, but in the moment he asks for more information about this 4th beast. We know that the 4th Kingdom is Rome… but what do we do with what we find in the rest of chapter 7? We’re told that the holy ones of the Most High will possess the Kingdom forever and ever, this is good news! This is our hope - no power of hell, no scheme of man can pluck you from God’s hand. But what of this final beast? Everyone has a view of what follows, and they can be reduced to 4 main views:

Futurist - everything we read is coming in the future

This person reads prophecy with both eyes to the future and we certainly do read things here in our text and in places like Revelation that are looking to the future. There is truth there. Every dispensationalist is a futurist, but not every futurist is a dispensationalist. The dispensationalist views God’s plan of salvation being brought about through dispensations throughout history centering on His election of Israel. The church age is a blip on the radar and not important, to many. The 10 horns we read in this text are often thought to be the European Union. Everything is futuristic here. The little horn is the Antichrist. Before the 3 1/2 years of tribulation these individuals believe that there will be a secret rapture as this individual will change many religious laws.

This person looks at Daniel 7-12 and Revelation as having not much to do with the past. Not much to do with the present. And almost everything to do with the future.

Preterist - everything we read has happened in the past

This person reads Daniel 7 as having happened in the past, at least nearly all of it. The 10 horns are thought to have been 10 provinces in the Roman Empire. The little horn is thought to have been the Caesars as they blasphemed one another claiming to be god and sought to destroy followers of Jesus Christ. Some view the little horn to be Herod the Great - we recognize that name from the Gospels. In the moment of the book of Acts, this makes sense as we know that Herod and his descendants were intense persecutors of the church as they gained power. They attempted to change God’s decrees and persecuted God’s people until 70 AD when Rome destroyed Jerusalem.

Historicist - everything that we read either has happened or is happening or will happen throughout human history until Christ returns

Now we come to the consensus view for over 1000 years. Hear me, church, there was no dispensationalist before the 19th century. No one read Daniel in the early church and thought like Jack Van Imp or Tim LaHaye that all of this stuff will exclusively happen in the future with helicopters and America and this and that. It’s not there in the text. No one believed in the early church that everything that happened was a past event either. Historicism was the consensus view. There were fulfillments throughout history and there would be future fulfillments as well. This views the 10 horns as the divisions of the Roman Empire and the little horn as the papacy - not the pope but the power that the pope claims to possess as he claims to be the vicar of Christ on earth which is heretical nonsense.

Interesting to note that today, the vast majority of Christian persecution comes from those of a Muslim background but for over 1000 years, from say, 600 AD - 1700 AD, the vast majority of persecution of Christians came from the Roman Catholic Church.

Idealist - no literal fulfillment, everything is symbolic

10 horns in the text represent various kingdoms following the Roman Empire. Lots of horns throughout history and many antichrists throughout all ages. The persecution talked about in the text lasts throughout the entire church age until Jesus comes again. The 3 1/2 years in the text are symbolic of the times of persecution that God will one day put an end to.

Lots of information this morning! These views have pro’s and con’s - understand this, none of the grids, systems, or views are perfect. If one was, everyone would believe it and the other ones wouldn’t exist. So, instead of viewing the Bible through our faulty glasses, let’s be true Bible students and let the Bible determine what our view is. We see 4 kingdoms in Daniel 7:1-8. Nearly every single Biblical commentator agrees that the 4th one is Rome and beyond. But we see there is a 5th Kingdom in chapters 2 and 7 (parallels) and this is the Kingdom of God! Do you see the 5th Kingdom in Daniel 2:44?

Daniel 2:44 CSB

44 “In the days of those kings, the God of the heavens will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever.

Notice, we don’t see a gap here. In the days of those kings God sets up a 5th and FINAL Kingdom that will never be destroyed - His Kingdom! As I read this, I fail to see a gap between the 4th and 5th Kingdoms in the text. Consider when this final Kingdom arrives on the scene. The final Kingdom is the Kingdom of God - so many look ahead to the future when they think of God’s kingdom, but what does the Bible tell us?

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be registered… when was Jesus born? During the Roman Empire. We could say during the rule of the 4th Kingdom in our text. Jesus is delivered over to death by a Roman ruler, guarded by Roman soldiers. But then He comes back to life and says this

Matthew 28:18 CSB

18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

He is saying that He has all authority. Not some. Not most. This means that Rome no longer has the authority. There’s a new Kingdom at hand.

Mark 1:15 ESV

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

This has been Jesus’ mission and message all along and after His resurrection this is His declaration - He has all authority… and then He ascends to glory. Look back in our text in 7:13 - The son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven and approached the Ancient of Days. What do we see? The Son of Man isn’t coming down… He’s coming up to approach the Father. When did this happen? The ascension.

Acts 2:36 CSB

36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

Psalm 110:1 CSB

1 This is the declaration of the Lord to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”

This is Jesus. Today, He is in heaven ruling and reigning. In the Roman world, people believed in all sorts of gods. The Romans would conquer a nation and those people could still worship their gods as long as they said this phrase: Caesar is Lord. What got the early church in trouble? This phrase: Jesus is Lord! This was a declaration of war. Christians in the book of Acts and throughout the first couple hundred years after Jesus’ resurrection said that He is Lord and that Caesar is not. What did this lead to? Problems. During this 4th Kingdom, Rome, Christians were saying that the 5th Kingdom, Christ’s Kingdom, was already at hand. See, Jesus changed everything and He continues to change everything! His Kingdom is still at hand today. We are given this Kingdom, we are members of it by faith today! You don’t have to wait until the year 3,000 AD to be a member of Christ’s Kingdom. No, by repentance and faith you enter that Kingdom today! That’s why Paul shares that we receive an inheritance in Ephesians 1 - we receive this inheritance because it’s ours… but we don’t get all of it yet. We get part of it here. We have the Holy Spirit helping us fight against the power of sin every day. We have the hope today that Christ wins. We know how the story ends. We are assured of victory. But we’re still fighting battles. But one day Christ will return. Death will die - He will judge this antichrist and all of His opponents. This world can steal so much in our life. This godless world will try to steal your peace. Your possessions. It will try to get you distracted from your mission. But this world can’t touch your Christ.

As John Owen once shared, “A dungeon with Christ is a throne. A throne without Christ is a hell.”

God’s Kingdom conquers the kingdoms of this world. But in this life, we know that we will in fact suffer. Our nation is incredibly blessed to have the religious freedoms and liberties that we possess. To enjoy the financial flourishing that we possess compared to the rest of the world. But, understand me friend, we are the anomaly, not the norm. For thousands of years, Christ’s people have been a persecuted and suffering people. Between now and the return of Christ, we should reasonably expect to be a suffering people. A persecuted people. This is what John 16:33 promises us

John 16:33 ESV

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

We have been beaten, opposed, mocked, and killed for generations - don’t be surprised when it knocks on your door… instead, 1 Peter 4 tells us to rejoice. 1 Peter 5:10

1 Peter 5:10 CSB

10 The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while.

After you have suffered. This is the common theme of Scripture is that God’s people suffer. We, in our country, are an anomaly here. And this has impacted the way that many Americans read passages that talk about suffering, especially tribulation. Historically, and even today in nearly every country but ours, Christians believe that we will not escape this time of great tribulation. There are some, a minority, and nearly all in our country, who believe that we will be taken out before the going gets real tough. That an escape hatch will deploy and we’ll escape it. Brothers and sisters, I love y’all enough to level with you - that’s a view that you likely wouldn’t have if you just had your Bible free from outside literature or teaching or if you grew up in another country. We have to suppose things upon the text to get that conclusion. But, if you’re right and we are taken out before the suffering starts, you will hear absolutely no complaints out of this guy because we’ll all be singing anyway! But, if we don’t get taken out… if we have to endure great suffering, are you ready? Early believers were thrown to gladiators, lions, and hung on spikes. What did they say? No King but Christ. What about us? What will our message be? It better be that our God is in control. Our God is good. Our God rules and reigns. Our God will return. Our God has won. The road will be long, but we know what is awaiting us. We will have pain, but we know that our pain is not wasted or purposeless. While there are lots of graphs, charts, and books about this subject - trust me, I’ve read them - what is this passage all about? It’s not all about these beasts or this man of lawlessness (this little horn), or these kingdoms of destruction. The focus of this passage is God’s Kingdom and God’s people. As your shepherd, my responsibility is to help you be both Biblical and Bold - at FBC this is what we will do. We will boldly stand on the rock solid Word of the Living God - come what may! We will plead from this day until our last day for those around us to come to Jesus. To rest in Him. To know that the battle has been won.

Let’s apply this truth that this text tells us about God’s Kingdom and the assurance that God’s sovereignty provides today and every day:

Application

Human Rulers Will Oppose Us: Stand Firm

The victory is won, but our job is not yet done. God calls us to stand on His Word. We will be opposed, but our God rules on His throne. We stand on the rock of Ages!

Human Rulers Will Try to Silence Us: Sing Loud

This fallen world will try to silence us and cause us to stop talking about our God and telling of His excellent greatness and goodness. We must sing loud the praises of our God as a unified body - we lift our voices as one because worship is war against the powers of darkness.

Spiritual Forces Will Try to Divide Us: Study Hard

The enemy cannot defeat a unified body… so he will try and divide us. What is the answer to this? We must study hard. We must be in the Word and stand boldly on what Scripture says, not what culture says, not what tradition says, not what sells out areas, we study the Word and we stand united on Scripture.

Spiritual Forces Will Discourage Us: Speak Jesus

The enemy can’t steal your Jesus, but he can and often does try to get you to not talk about Jesus and what He has done in your life. Some of the godliest people I’ve ever met or read about have been those who struggle with discouragement the most. What is the answer to this? Hebrews 10:24-25 - we encourage one another with our presence and our words. We remind one another of Jesus and what He has done for us.

God Wins: Don’t Be Surprised

Turn to Jesus before its too late. This world promises much but it fails to provide what it promises! If you do not yet know this Jesus, and you’re looking around at this world of confusion and chaos and change, you might genuinely wonder, “Is Anyone In Control?” The answer is yes. There is 1 God. He is seated on His throne. He rules and reigns. One day the kingdoms of this world will fall. He is faithful through it all. He wins. Don’t be caught off guard. Trust in Jesus. Trust in the Son of Man who died for sinners just like you and me, who rose from the grave, who ascended to glory and is seated at the right hand of the Father. Trust in the King of Kings today and be saved. Blessed are those persecuted for righteousness… for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs!

When the stakes rise and the gladiator pits and dens of lions and fiery furnaces await you, are you willing to say that Jesus is King? He is in control. The wind and the waves still obey His Words. What about you and me? What about FBC Salem? When persecution comes knocking, when the nations rage, when the leaders of this world rise up to destroy us - what will you do? Let us look to our God who is seated on His throne. Let us look to His Son who paid for our sin in full. Let us look to the future with an honest assessment of how things will be, but also an optimism knowing what our God will do. Jesus is coming back. Evil will be destroyed. Wrong will be made right. Sin will be destroyed. We will see our Savior face to face and forever we will worship His name. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church of Jesus Christ - He is in control. Rest in Him.