Untitled Sermon (8)

Daniel Chapter 7 9-14

Daniel Prophesies Son of Man

“The Future is in Gods Hands”

Slide One

Define Apocalyptic??

What's the overall message in the book of Daniel? (Why is Daniel sharing this information with us?/ What does he want us to learn or gain? )

There are six chapters of prophecy in Daniel, and we only have one lesson from them (next week's lesson is from a prayer in chapter 9). That's a good idea. Lessons from prophecies tend to cause debates. And most of those debates are completely unnecessary. God did not give us visions of the future to argue about them. He did so to give us urgency. Some Christians I know "feel good" about how much they study Bible prophecy, but they pay no attention to what the Bible says about how we are supposed to live our lives.

Here's my first idea. Start your discussion with an open-ended "what do you think the future will hold -- 20 years, 50 years from now?"

You might not remember that The Jetsons was set in 2062 -- that's just 40 years from now. What kind of a track are we on? What about transportation in the future? Living conditions in the future? Vacations in the future? Health care in the future? And so on.

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 from the penalty of sin. Nor will we find a way to wipe ourselves out before the final judgment.

First, they draw the parallel we've mentioned between chapters 2 and 7. The main idea is that human nations have gotten so out of control that they behave like terrifying beasts. That leads to the follow-up question: how long will God let this go on? As the next three visions show, longer than we would like, but no longer than God will allow.

https://www.fbcthomson.org/post/the-future-is-in-god-s-hand-an-encouragement-from-daniel-7

In apocalyptic literature, a heavenly messenger reveals strange and mysterious things to a human. These writings are filled with symbolic numbers, bizarre beasts, and puzzling encounters. This type of literature developed during times of oppression and violence, especially during and after the Babylonian exile. People who were taken from their homes and forced to live elsewhere naturally wrestled with questions of faith—similar to the questions we often have today:

“Where are you, God? We feel alone in this place!” Exiled in a foreign land and enlisted to serve a foreign king, Daniel was determined to be faithful. God revealed visions to Daniel, showing him that heaven and earth are much closer than they seem. The powerful imagery pushes past the gates of the intellect into the emotions, depicting scenes of the future and encouraging Daniel and God’s people to remain faithful. Throughout these passages, the message remains consistent: God is still in control. Take heart; things are more than they seem.

The first six chapters of Daniel include well-known stories about the fiery furnace and the lion’s den. But when the reader turns to chapter 7, the familiar tales give way to fantastic visions. At this point, Daniel is an old man during the first year of the reign of Belshazzar, king of Babylon (7:1). Daniel’s first vision begins with four monstrous beasts emerging from the sea (7:1–8). Then it shifts to a figure like a “son of man”—a Hebrew term meaning human being. He is given authority by the “Ancient of Days,” and his kingdom will be an everlasting one (7:9–14). With attention to the present and near future, the apocalyptic vision continues to reach into the realities of this eternal kingdom. Daniel is troubled by the vision and seeks its meaning from a figure standing near him, most likely an angel (7:15–16). This messenger figure describes each of the beasts as representing a kingdom. Daniel is most concerned with the fourth beast because it was “different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying” (7:19). The messenger explains that the holy ones will endure persecution for “a time, times, and half a time” (7:25). Although the length of this period is not specified, it is limited. Things will get worse before the appointed time, but relief and judgment are coming. As Daniel hears the explanation, he is deeply troubled.

The four kingdoms The chapter reintroduces the theme of the "four kingdoms," which is the idea that Israel or the world will be ruled by four successive empires, each worse than the last.

Don't love the world The chapter teaches that people should not love the world or anything in it, and should not be seduced by its power or false promises.

Choose your kingdom The chapter teaches that people have the opportunity to choose which kingdom they want to function in every day. People can choose to be like the beasts, or they can choose to be like the Prince of Peace or the Son of Man.

God's kingdom lasts forever The chapter teaches that everything in this world will end, and that only God's kingdom lasts forever.

God reveals his secrets to his servants The chapter teaches that God tells people what is to come so that they can be ready.