Ruler of the Beasts

Intro

When I was a kid, my brother and I fell asleep watching a movie in our home. My dad came to gather us up and get us off to our beds. My brother was the kind who, you couldn’t just shoe him off toward his bed and he would walk on his own. No, you would get him pointed the right way and he would just crumple wherever he was. It could be the stairs. It could be the fireplace. It didn’t matter…he was tired and he was going to sleep.

I was a little more complicated because I seemed like I was coherent. Dad said, hey get off to bed and I proceeded to head that direction. But then my dad heard the front door open and close. He was trying to pick up my brother off the stairs where he had just crumpled..so he thought I will deal with that in a min. He got my brother cody off to bed and then came back and heard rustling out on the porch….the door opened and I came back inside. I had a look of anger on my face. Before my dad could react or help or do anything, I hauled off and punched my dad in the stomach.

Now….I think all of us dads would agree….there are some rules in life. One of them….don’t punch dad. My dad was starting to react when he realized that I am not awake. I turned and went upstairs to my bed.

I always laugh when my dad tells this story because I never in a million years would have done this consciously. My dad can still take me today. My only hope would be outrunning him….but if he got a shot in…it is over. I have gifts but taking a punch from someone like my dad is not one of those gifts.

I have no memory of this story because I was asleep. Something was going on in my little peanut butter nougat of a brain that made that action of punching my dad make sense.

There are a few things we can agree on when it comes to Daniel 7 and one of those is that dreams are weird.

We are continuing our series on Daniel and how we are to have courageous faith in confusing times.

Confusing would be a good term for some of the things we will be talking about today. Similar to Chapter 2, we have a dream, a vision, that is the focus of our text today. Confusing imagery, confusing interpretation, what does it all mean.

Well I would like to impress this to you today that it means everything. You will feel a temptation to take your eye off the important and dwell on the less important. Who are the beasts? When will things happen? How does that crazy detail fit into history, past, present or future?

But what if the main point of this chapter is not the beasts but rather the one who vanquishes, who eventually rules over the beasts. What if the almighty God, the Son of Man, and the people of God are the focus of this story?

BIG IDEA

Our goal today is to look beyond the crazy, confusing, and chaotic creatures and kingdoms and see the critical truth that the Ancient of Days will rule on the throne. That the Son of Man is the representative of God’s people and he ushers in a kingdom that no terrifying empire can overthrow.

That this section of Scripture is more than just a weird dream…it is encouragement, a warning and a reality that Jesus comes to set all things right and bring about the kingdom of God. Kingdoms and powers may rise and fall, but the kingdom of Christ will reign forever and ever amen.

Recap (Make Shorter)

Just a little recap as this is a pivot moment in the book of Daniel. Remember that Israel has been attacked by Babylon. The Israelites are in exile. Four of them come from the line of David. Shadrack, Meeshack, and Abendigo along with Daniel.

A theme early in the book is how does God’s people live out their only true identity bnwhile being exiles. We see it in the story of should we eat the meat or not in Chapter 1 as well as Chapter 3 when because of their obedience to God, they choose to be thrown in the fiery furnace but are rescued by God. In Chapter 6, last week we heard how Daniel needed to live out his faith while still being an exile. He did not use kingdom power but rather heavenly power was used through Him and his obedience to glorify God.

We have also read through a ton of dreams right? Chapters 4 and 5 as well as a very similar and even linked dream in Chapter 2 showcases how God is the one who rules, no matter the craziness.

We end up after all this in this hinge point as Chapter 7 in a pairing of Chapter 2. This time the dream is Daniel’s own, not an interpretation of someone else’s. It brings all kinds of oddities that can be difficult.

One of the difficulties when looking at the dreams in Chapter 2 and then starting in 7 on through the rest of the book is that their is apocalyptic literature at play. It reveals spiritual realities that lie in the past, present, and possibly in the future.

It is not fortune telling as one might thing of when dealing with the word prophecy. A prophet in the bible is a spokesman for God. He says the words of the Lord.

One commentary (PASTOR ANDREW LIGHTNER) reminded that God uses this apocalyptic literature and visionary language to do basically at least one of three things. to encourage those being harmed, to warn those who are doing the harming, and a call to faith for those not sure what to do next. encouragement to those oppressed, a warning for those choosing wrong….and a call to faith for those unsure of the next right thing.

It’s literature that is designed to overwhelm our senses with word pictures. Symbolism played a large role in how they communicated this type of apocalyptic literature.

Isaiah 5 talks about the distant nations. Here, he is referencing Babylon and in verse 29, he says their roar is like that of the lion…..they growl and seize their pray and carry it off with no one to rescue. Ezekiel talks about Egypt as a dragon. The Kaldeans, described as evening wolves.

It was not only prophets of Yaweh that spoke in this way. Titus 1:12 says that even prophets of other religions referred to their own people as evil beasts.

It is also true of us today, as animals are used to represent groups like sport teams. The bears, the dolphins. I am waiting for a team to come out and say proudly…we are the Ants! or the Ameobas!

God did not give us visions of the future to argue about them. He did so to give us urgency. Our goal this week is to understand what the Bible says and why the Bible says it. Everything beyond that is speculation on our part. Here me on this, nothing we are going over today was written so that you and I could chart it out, put it on our google calendars and to do lists. It was written to shout out in all its symbolism….to all past, present, and future generations that God reigns and His kingdom will have no end.

Lets start in Verse 1 of Daniel 7

Beginning of the Dream - Chaos of Humans

Daniel 7:1–2 NIV

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. 2 Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea.

This is during Belshazars first year. This isn’t consecutive, we have gone back

In verse 2, we see that the four winds of heaven are churning up the great sea.

In prophet like language, the sea often represents people and the chaos that results. Isa 57.20 points to this specifically as the wicked are like the tossing sea.

It represents a threat of death and misery.

Here we see a connection with the Creation story in genesis chapter 1 as the wind of God moved across the waters to bring order to the chaos in Creation. As we move through this dream, we will see something similar to the creation story as God makes things right and good. It goes on…

Daniel 7:3 NIV

3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.

The Beasts

Just as the sea is symbolic, so too are the images of mutant creatures. This too represents even more chaos and disorder with the combination of creatures into one beast. One commentator, Sydne GRIDUNES reminds us that All of these animals being hybrid would have been seen as unclean in Jewish law. More danger, more chaos.

Verse 4 starts out the list of the beasts.

Daniel 7:4–7 NIV

4 “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it. 5 “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’ 6 “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule. 7 “After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.

Traditionally (SIDNEY GREIDANUS) the kingdoms in both Daniel two and Daniel seven have been identified with specific historical manifestations. The traditional interpretations in both the image of Daniel two and the beasts of Daniel seven, the Kingdom of Babylon, followed by Medo-Persia, then Greece, then finally the Roman Empire. There are cues in the text that seem to support this interpretation to a certain degree.

Other old testament prophets linked Babylon to a lion in Jer 4:7, and to an eagle in Ezek 17:3. Its wings being torn off and being given a mind of a man could point Nebuchadnezzar’s experience in chapter 4…how being driven mad and living as a beast, being humbled…the mad king came to realize that he was only a man. That he needed to lift his eyes to heaven and off of himself.

The bear or second beast with the three ribs possibly representing the three main conquests of Medo/Persia: Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt. Being raised up on one side could indicate that one part of the kingdom was higher or more prominent than the other. This would surely be true of the Medo Persian empire as Persia dominated the relationship.

The Third beast…. A leopard is fast but a leopard with wings….that is faster than a kid who hears unlimited ice cream. Alexander the great invaded Asia Minor and within 10 years conquered the known world. Upon Alexander’s death, the kingdom was separated into four parts with Alexander’s generals taking one of the 4 sections.

Strikingly accurate of history. The Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archeology points out that so many of the things written in Daniel have been backed up by Archeological Evidence. From government to empires to culture, Daniel has a rich amount of evidence

Megabeast and the Horn

But we see the 4th beast…..We have now gone off the rails as Daniel’s vision cannot find a creature or combo of creatures to represent this fourth beast. It crushes and shatters all the kingdoms before it.

Most scholars point to this being a symbol of the great kingdom of Rome. The speed of Alexander the great was overshadowed by the crushing power of Rome which overshadowed the other three kingdoms.

It is true…Rome was a deadly massive empire that was evil in its core. Roman Empire put to death at least 400,000 by having them eaten by wild animals while people watched.Imagine turning on the news and hearing about that today.

It is terrifying and then we read it has 10 horns.

In fact that interpretation in Daniel 7:17-21 given to daniel from an angel gives us the indication as to why so many scholars point to these beasts as representing these kingdoms as he says in verse 17….the four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. You can feel the tension building as Paul is wrestling with this terrifying vision of violence, victims crushed and trampled.

Daniel 7:8 NIV

8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.

Daniel says….While I was thinking about the horns…as one does…..we now see a horn, a little horn with eyes, able to see and understand, a sign of intelligence, and a mouth. This “little horn” is saying great things but the context is clear…they are against the Lord. A kingdom with a king or leader who is evil personified.

On this 4th beast, Daniel is clearly moved because later in the chapter he inquires about this 4th beast. It is different….the horn, the king speaks out openly against the Lord.

Notice that the first time, Daniel sees the horn, he remarks that it is little. But then in verse 20….the horn is more imposing than the others….speaking boastfully. Growing in supposed power. This horn is raging war against the holy people and defeating them as we see in verse 21.

Most scholars point to this horn as being representative of a character, an antichrist. Everything that is representative of antiGod. Other names for this character are man of lawlessness as seen in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The one who comes to deceive. That character type, that spirit is already in the world according to 1 John 4:3

1 John 4:3 NIV

3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

A kingdom that will destroy….a spirit of lawlessness and deception with boastful words against the one true God.

Whew…….this is the part of your regular programing in which it seems as if everything is going wrong. Do we turn the tv off? I don’t know if I want to see any more.

Already Happened/Will Happen

It is this moment that we acknowledge the deep need within us to know the answer to the riddle. Has someone told you a riddle, and you can’t see the answer.

If the 4th beast is representative of rome as most scholars contend…..than it seems like it is the past. and already fulfilled which is still an amazing thing! But some of the language in this chapter speaks of things that seem to have not come to fruition yet. It is a riddle. It is a mystery.

Here we should also recognize that apocolyptic literature is often not a one for one symbolic connection. Images and symbols are often applicable to more than one period of time. They can have a now and later effect that both are equally true.

A good example of this is Revelation, another apocalyptic book, say chapter 13…we see the four beasts from Daniel reappear as one unified beast, making war on God's people. While we can link them to historical kingdoms, they resurface throughout history repeatedly.

Time and time again we see deadly, violent kingdoms rise up against the characteristics and values of the way of Christ. Today… Places like Nigeria and Nicaragua where leaders openly persecute followers of Christ. That isn’t long ago…According to Open Door Missions, just under 5000 followers of Christ were murdered in 2023.. Of that number, almost 80% happened in Nigeria, Nicaruaga and North Korea. In places like China, over 10,000 churches were forced to close by the government.

Violent Kingdoms rising up to wage violence against God’s people. Beasts of all shapes, sizes, individuals and kingdoms and abominations attack the Kingdom of God.

this also reminds us of th3 bigger picture of sin the kingdom that leads to death that tramples all it touches and who destroys that kingdom

What about the Horn? Many look at Antiochus IV, known as “The Mad” who killed 80,000 men, women, and children of Judea in 3 days. Who mocked all the of the jewish laws, including making the priests eat pork and sprinkling pork fat on all the holy scrolls. Seems like an antichrist to me. The spirit of the Antichrist was present. It is a type. 1 John 2:18

1 John 2:18 NIV

18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.

That hour has lasted a bit and we continue to see individuals who stand for all that Christ stands against. There have been antichrists and there will be a final one. The real point is that God knows and even the most evil kingdoms will not stand in His way. This is true of the time of Rome and it is true of any evil kingdoms today.

Remember, this type of literature was not to solve a riddle or plan out our calendars such as saying The apocalypse will be on July 3rd. God’s timing and his ways are always…always…always for His glory and our good. In fact lets turn our attention now to the one and only great God.

The Ancient of Days

Daniel 7:9 NIV

9 “As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.

Almost no scholar argues that the ancient of days described in verse 9 and first part of 10 is the Almighty God Yahweh. Eternal God. So far we can agree that dreams are wierd, and that the Ancient of Days is God the Father.

We read in Genesis 1 that God created time, days and nights, so God existed from before the beginning of time. God is often represented as ancient, as He that is “from everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 90:2) and as “the first and the last” in Isaiah 44:6.

His white clothing, his white hair, the flaming throne with wheels ablaze, the river of fire …. all scream out in symbolism….GOD IS DEFINITEVLY HOLY. God is one of one. And He rules the beasts. All the kingdoms and their use of Kingdom power fall to the Ancient of Days who rules them all with His heavenly power.

The comparison between the Ancient of Days and the Beasts should not be lost…in fact it is the point. We can get caught up in the beasts. Out of fear, we can dwell on them.

One pastor put it this way (PASTOR ANDREW LIGHTNER)

“The beasts that arose out of the water, as terrifying as they were, are just mere creatures that came into existence at a certain period of time. But the Lord is the reigning without beginning and without end. He doesn’t have to rise like the bear to demonstrate his power. Instead he sits as a king and a judge, who with a word can command and it will be done.”

It goes on in verse 10….We see here that the Ancient of Days, is attended by thousands upon thousands….scratch that…ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. Don’t get hung up on counting….a massive amount. I was caught this week…sometimes serving Christ feels lonely. But we remember that we are not alone but in the family of God. We gather together in part to be reminded of that holy truth.

It says that the court is seated and the books opened. This could be in reference to God’s judgement on humanity. Through out God’s word we see an aspect of Yahweh as one who judges, who rules judgement. His love and mercy and judgement are inseparable

No matter what we think the future might hold, God is in complete control of it. Humans will not find a way to rescue ourselves

Anticlimactic

The way the beasts come out of the water. The way the the build up is of the 4th beast how it is different than all of the others. The little horn who does’t stop his boasting but continues his arrogant talk…he hasn’t stopped talking. But look at verse 11. It goes so fast…..you might miss it.

Verse 11…Daniel is watching and Just like that…in an instant, the Ancient of Days in his holiness and cleansing purity…..the kingdom is slain, destroyed, and thrown into the blazing fire. All that buildup and God handles it. We see a more full picture of this in Daniel 7:22-28 as the the King is boasting and waging war and then…the Ancient of Days comes and pronounces judgement in favor of the Holy people of the Most high, and they possessed the kingdom. Jump down to verse 26, the power of the beast, and the horn will be taken way and he will be completely destroyed forever.

We spend so much time focused on beasts, we forget that the Ancient of Days comes to rule with love and justice and to make things right. No one can do that like God can. We also see the Son of Man in verse 13.

The Son of Man

Daniel 7:13–14 NIV

13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Notice here, there is no beast like behavior. glory, sovereign power (that is power that gives God glory and good of the people). People declare worth to the Lord, they worship….people of every language, all nations. No beastly kingdom will ever rise up to destroy this one. It is everlasting.

Most scholars agree….the Son of Man is Christ. And the Son of Man is given that authority, glory, and power. Jesus knew Daniel 7. Jesus is called the 'Son of Man' 82 times in the New Testament It's his primary title for himself as we see in in the 4 gospels. (Matthew 12:32; 13:37; Luke 12:8; John 1:51).)

Lets just to Mark 14:61-63. Jesus is before the priests including the high priest. They are cross examining him trying to find all the ways they can discredit him and kill him. in verse 61, the high priest asks Jesus….Are you the Messiah….the son of the blessed one?” and Jesus says I am. and you will the son of man…sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One…and coming on the clouds of heaven.

Imagine all the bible nerds, all the priests in that room who knew Daniel 7…memorized it. Immediately realizing that Jesus is declaring that He is THE SON OF MAN who reigns over all. Who approaches the Ancient of Days. Jesus knew Daniel 7. That is what makes Daniel 7 so important because it was important to Christ as his name. The ancient of days, the son of man and we also have the Holy Ones.

Holy Ones

Friends, we need the gospel every minute of every day. And in this chapter, we see that a huge promise. The people of God, the saints, will reign with Him. The kingdom of heaven and humanity on earth coming together as was intended from the beginning.

We are involved. Daniel 7:18 says the holy people of God, will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever.

How joyful must that have been to hear for an exile like Daniel? One who has been taken from His home…given a new name….walking a razers edge between the way of God and the beastly way of the human kingdoms.

Remember this literature brought hope to those who felt harmed. Exiles in a another country. It brought an underlying command to choose faith instead of fear.

SO WHAT

And this brings hope to you and I. When we wake up in the morning, when there is air in our lungs and honesty in our hearts, we admit that while we are in this world…we are not of it. The way of Christ is not practiced consistently by the kingdoms of this world. If we are honest, we see more beast like behavior.

We see that sometimes in the church don’t we. The beastly attributes getting in as we gossip, bite at one another, or complain and seek out our way. When we choose pride over humility. I use the collective we and include myself right there with you.

I would end today by asking you some questions.

QUESTIONS

Who is the Lord of your life? A replacement religion of convenience and ease, or the mighty Son of Man who gave Himself for you?

Is your perspective aligned with God or with man? When you see man made kingdoms, power structures….do you look upon those as man does in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream….as things of richness, value, precious and deserving of honor?

Or do you look at them as God does…..things more resembling a beast. Violence, death giving rather than life giving. Self -serving. This is an outpouring of the sinful nature of man….when humanity gives into sin…he becomes a beast.

Friends, everything in time leads to the throne room of God. From genesis to revelation, from the beginning of time to the final promise fulfilled….all of it leads to the throne room where the Ancient of Days rules, the Son of Man reigns, and God’s people serve in the Kingdom that will never end. Revelation 11:15 echos this as “loud voices in heaven saying “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”

Lets pray

We come humbly, seeking Your wisdom and guidance. Just as Daniel understood Your divine plan, grant us insight into the complexities of our time.

In the face of uncertainty, strengthen our faith in Your sovereignty. May we stand firm, trusting Your love and providence.

Heal our world, bring comfort to the afflicted, and lead us in righteousness.

May Your kingdom come, Your will be done.

Amen.

GracePointe may we go from this place remembering to be encouraged as we face trails. May we heed the warning to live as God has instructed in His word and through the Holy Spirit. May we follow after Christ with the faith that He will come to make all things right.

Have a great rest of the day!