Daniel — Looking Ahead

This morning as we begin, I want to make sure that we all are at the same understanding. This is what we all need to understand: This world, what you see, all of the past since the time God created the heavens and the earth…everything, will be destroyed one day. It will all be gone. Nothing will remain. Even if we are not alive when that happen, there will be no more NIgeria, no more London, no more China, no more US…it will all be destroyed. Gone.

And if you still have your life with this happens, it will not be easy.

There are different people who believe different things about the last days. Some believe that for the Christian, you will not be on the earth during that time, but God will have already brought you up to heaven. Others believe that Christian who are alive when that time begins, will still be on earth and will go through the bad things of the last days. I know which one I believe, but the one important thing is, a person needs to be ready.

But God doesn’t leave us without understanding. He tells us how the last days will happen and how we should prepare for the events that will come when HE is ready. And he does this through his Word.

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It’s been a while since we looked into the book of Daniel, but if you will remember that Daniel was brought to Babylon as a prisoner by King Nebuchadnezzar. And the king found out quickly that Daniel was a smart man, he was very wise, along with his friends Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego. In the first six chapters of Daniel we saw the stories we are all familiar with: Daniel in the Lions Den, The fiery furnace, the handwriting on the wall. And then we also saw Nebuchadnezzar being brought down low like an animal until he recognized that there was one true God, Jehovah.

When we see these first six chapters of Daniel, they are written in a certain literary style. And when I say that I mean that the way in which the words are written point to the style in which we read them. For example, if you have every heard of the style of poetry. The entire book of Psalms is in the style of Poetry. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and Acts are written in the Narrative style. The reason it is called narrative is because it is telling a story of events that happen. It is a historical story of events.

So the first six chapters of Daniel are narrative, as Daniel writes about events that happened at one time in history. For Daniel is was around 600 year before Jesus. They call it 600 BC.

But something changes and we move to Daniel 7. The writing style changes from narrative to apocalyptic. Thats a big word. What does it mean?

When something is written in the apocalyptic style it is writing of future events that point to the last days and God’s judgment. In this it uses many symbols to describe the events. By the way, parts of the book of Ezekial and all of Revelation are also in the lierary style of apocalyptic.

So in Daniel seven and eight, and most of the rest of Daniel, we will see a description of the coming last days.

So open your Bibles to Daniel 7.

This morning I want us to go through Daniel 7 & Daniel 8. Now that’s a lot. So I am not going to read every verse from these two chapters, but I want to focus on those that are essential, and then give you information about the rest.

Daniel opens the chapter saying that what he dreams happened during the time Babylon. Well Babylon fell at the end of Chapter 5, so what we see here that that Daniel is going back in time and writing about something that happened.

Daniel has a dream, and let’s look at what he sees in his dream (Daniel 7:2-8)

Daniel saw these four beasts, coming from every corner of the earth. One that looked like a lion and had eagles wings, then walked on two feet. The second beast looked like a bear, raised up on one side with three ribs in his teeth and was told to devour much flesh. Then there was a third beast. Like a leopard with wings who had four heads and dominion, total control was given to it. Then the fourth beast, devoured everything, it destroyed everything with its feet. It had ten horns, and a little horn that removed three of the small horns. The little horn had eyes like and a mouth speaking great things.

So Daniel sees this vision of these four great beasts and he tries to describe what they look like. He does his best. But then. His dream changes. Now it seems like he is seeing a courtroom. In Daniel 7:9-10 there is a title that Daniel gives, that is found no where else in Scripture.

Daniel 7:9–10 (ESV)

9 “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.

10 A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.

So there are these four beasts that coming from across the earth, then we see this Ancient of Days, but there is still someone else.

Daniel 7:13–14 (ESV)

13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.

14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

So this morning, lets only look at the fourth beast. Who is this beast? It says that there were ten horns, and a little horn came up and and spoke great things. This little horn points to what we know as the antichrist. In the last days there will come one who will come to deceive people. He will be Satans man and he will try to deceive people and get them to turn away from Christ. He will seem good at first, but then he will be seen for what he truly is. Anti means opposite. So if he is the anti Christ, he is the opposite of Christ. He will even set himself up in the temple and say WORSHIP me.

The fourth beast and the little horn is the anti Christ.

Who is the Ancient of Days? Jehovah God. That title Ancient of Days means that he has always been and he will always be.

Who is the “one like a son of man?” This is Jesus. He is the one that has an everlasting dominon which cannot be taken away or destroyed.

Daniel is seeing this in a dream, and he doesn't understand, but there is someone there who can help him. But before we see the interpretation, lets look at another vision that Daniel has in Daniel 8

Read Daniel 8:1-14

Daniel 8:1–14 ESV

1 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. 2 And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. 3 I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. 4 I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great. 5 As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. 7 I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. 9 Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. 10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. 11 It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. 12 And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” 14 And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”

In both Daniel 7 and 8, among the beast, and the ram and the goat, there is one that is stronger and more powerful than the others. In Daniel 7, it is the fourth beasts has a little horn that rises to the top of power. In Daniel 8 it is a horn that rises from the goat. These horns on the fourth beast and the goat had great power. in fact in Daniel 8:11 it says that 11 It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host.

The anti christ will be one who will present himself as the real Christ. But he is not. He will be very liked. He will seem like a good guy, he may even be able to perform a miracle. But his power will only be through Satan. And because Satan is a deceiver and enemy of God, he will be the same. He will deceive people into thinking that he is the promised Messiah who has come back for his people, but he will not be the Christ. The Bible says that he will even be able to fool the believers and draw them away from God. Look at what Paul said about being ready for this time and the antichrist:

2 Thessalonians 2:3–12 ESV

3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

The anti christ will be one who will present himself as the real Christ. But he is not. He will be very liked. He will seem like a good guy, he may even be able to perform a miracle. But his power will only be through Satan. And because Satan is a deceiver and enemy of God, he will be the same. He will deceive people into thinking that he is the promised Messiah who has come back for his people, but he will not be the Christ. The Bible says that he will even be able to fool the believers and draw them away from God. Look at what the angel Gabriel said about this antichrist: Daniel 8:23-25

Daniel 8:23–25 (ESV)

23 And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise.

24 His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints.

25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand.

Daniel points out the danger that will be with the anti christ, but look how he ends….with good news: Daniel 8:25

Daniel 8:25 (ESV)

25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand.

It will not be an army on earth, it will not be a powerful king, it will be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who will defeat the Anti Christ and bring his children, the believers to himself.

So what does a dream over two thousand seven hundred years ago have to do with you?

What we have read here is coming, and everyone who has every lived will be defined by what we are reading. All of these visions that God gave Daniel will come true in time. The end of the world as you see it will happen, and there are two things you need to know.

All of this could happen at anytime. There is a word that is used for the time of all of this, and that is the tribulation. The tribulation will be a seven year period where the antichrist will make himself look good for the first three years, then he will show his true self. He will set himself up in the temple and tell everyone to bow down to him. Many will be deceived, every some who believe after he arrives.

Because of this You need to stand up for what you believe. You need to know what the Bible says and be ready for the anti christ to come. The Bible doesn’t say that Jesus will come back and start walking among us, the Bible says that when Jesus does return, he will take us out of this place to be with him. Don’t be fooled, don’t get scammed… know what you should know as a child of God… a true believer.f

Paul says in Romans 13:11 Wake up! for your salvation is closer than the day you first believed.

I don’t know when Jesus will come back, but I don’t think we can sit back and waste time thinking it is a long way off. Where are you today? Are you ready? Do you need to repent of your sins and trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you need to begin to live for him, and put away your selfish ways?