God’s Kingdom: His Plan for History (Revelation- Daniel 1, 2, 6, 7)

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Next year’s BSF study.

This week we are in the Book of Daniel…

And next year

Let’s Pray

Introduction

Well ladies- we have entered November.

and while the weather outside right now is beautiful- soon…we will enter into winter.

It will be cold…it will be cloudy…maybe even snowy.

Winter in Ohio can feel long.

but yet…as we move into the months of February and March-

something happens.

we start to get glimpses of spring.

Days that instead of 25…are 45…

the sun shines through the clouds…

and the Crocus flowers begin to bloom.

Now- a Crocus flower is the first flower that you will see after the last snow of the year.

It doesn’t take an exceptionally warm day for the crocus flower to bloom. Just a little warmth..a little sunshine will do it.

These are small flowers, only about 2 to 4 inches tall-

They are a small glimmer of hope in the midst of the long winter.

that literal, brighter days are ahead.

This week we are talking about the kingdom of God as we open up the book of Daniel.

A kingdom that is now..but not yet.

I don’t have to tell any of you that God’s kingdom has not fully come on earth.

our world is in chaos. war. division. death. and pain are all still a very real reality of our daily lives.

but admist the chaos…we get glimmers of the kingdom…reminds that God’s kingdom is both now…and not yet..

But the King who is, was, and always has been sovereignly in control and whose kingdom will reign forever and ever is still reigning.

THAT never changed.

The title of our study this year is HOPE.

If your feeling of hopefulness or hopelessness today is tied to a particular candidate winning or losing than your HOPE is misplaced- and instead of living as a citizen of the kingdom of God- you are instead living as a citizen of this world.

When we talk about kingdom- we are talking about the sovereignty and authority of God as King.

Once again we are out of the book of Revelation.

But this week is not random- in fact, several scholars have said that the book of Daniel is like a foreward to the book of Revelation.

The themes are similar…the message is the same…God is in Charge…He is in control…The Lord Rules…and in the end…He wins.

Daniel is not the hero of the book…God is-

one pastor said he would title Daniel as “Lord of Glory” because it shows us that God rules over the affairs of human history and affairs of nations.

Nothing will stop God’s plan to bring all things in heaven and earth under back to glory…

meaning- that just like Revelation-Daniel is a book of hope.

God’s Kingdom is right now…

And we learned last week we saw that God us going to use His people to bring heaven and earth back to glory.

Another way of saying that is saying that He is going to bring His kingdom to earth- in all it’s fullness. That is the plan.

and last week we looked at how God’s people fit into His plan as we saw that God chooses and uses people to bring heaven and earth into His glory as he unifies them together in both identity and purpose.

For God’s people- this world is not our home.

We are citizens of the kingdom of heaven living in a world full of many other kingdoms.

But Daniel shows us that nations will rise and fall…kingdoms will come and go…Kings will come and go- but nothing will stop God’s plan to bring everything in heaven and earth back to glory.

and today we get a glimpse into how God uses His kingdom people to accomplish His purposes.

How often do we forget who truly sits on the throne? How quickly we allow the shifting kingdoms of this world to distract us from the unchanging, sovereign reign of God! The truth is, our hope is not dependent on any election or political leader. Our hope rests securely in the eternal kingdom of God, which cannot be shaken.

In this week's lesson, Daniel’s life illustrates this truth powerfully: God is always in control—whether under the threat of lions, in the presence of powerful kings, or while interpreting mysterious dreams.

Daniel lived with unwavering faith in God’s reign, even while exiled in Babylon, a foreign land hostile to his beliefs.

His faith reminds us that no matter how uncertain things may seem, God’s kingdom reigns now and forever.

This truth ties beautifully into our study of Revelation.

Just as Daniel pointed to the rise and fall of kingdoms and the coming of God’s eternal kingdom, Revelation reveals the fulfilment of that promise—the ultimate triumph of Christ.

The book of Daniel challenges us to trust that even when things seem out of control, God is still at work, guiding history according to His perfect plan. His presence is constant, and His kingdom will never fail.

Daniel was one of God’s people- and he shows us how we live FOR God’s Kingdom NOW while waiting on His Kingdom to come in fullness.

and that is our aim..to see how: God’s faithful people live for His kingdom now and forever.

“The kingdom of God is simply the place where God rules and reigns. It has been inaugurated, but it is yet to be fully consummated.”

GOD’S KINGDOM NOW- DANIEL 1 and 6

GOD’S KINGDOM FOREVER Daniel 2 and 7

Now, I realize we are going out of order- but- fun fact- the book of Daniel is not in chronological order so- I promise that it makes more sense to look at chp’s 1 and 6 together and then 2 and 7 together.

so let’s Open to Daniel 1

GOD’S KINGDOM NOW- DANIEL 1,6

God’s Kingdom is right now…but also not yet..

It’s still winter…but there are glimpses of spring.

And we learned last week that God us going to use His people to bring heaven and earth back to glory.

Another way of saying that is saying that He is going to bring His kingdom to earth- in all it’s fullness.

and he is going to use people to do it.

Daniel shows us that as citizens of God’s kingdom, working to bring God’s kingdom to earth- we are called to live with kingdom perspective and kingdom expectation- even when we don’t know or understand what God is doing.

KINGDOM PERSPECTIVE- DANIEL 1

The book of Daniel covers a time period from about 605 to 539 B.C.

Like the book of Revelation, it is considered apocalyptic- which remember just means to reveal something that was previously hidden and involves symbolic metaphors and images.

and the Book of Daniel contains a mix of history and prophecy.

The history, or narrative, contained in this book sets us up to put the apocalyptic portion in perspective.

in our second division we will look at the apocalyptic nature of this book, but first let’s look at the history- or narrative portion.

Daniel 1 sets the stage.

The nation of Israel had been divided for a long time- and because of their continued disobedience, they were taken into exile.

The Northern Kingdom of Israel had already been taken into exile by Assyria.

But, the events in Daniel deal with the Southern Kingdom- or the Kingdom of Judah - being overtaken by Babylon…

So King Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon came in and instead of killing the nation- he did what was a common practice at that time- he went in and basically collected the professional class and brought them back to Babylon.

His intent was to take the leaders of the culture and assimilate them into Babylonian culture to destroy their Biblical worldview.

Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the Jewish exiles for a moment.

They had been taken captive…ripped from their home and forced to live in a kingdom that wanted to completely strip them of their previous identity, culture, and worldview.

Do not miss the trauma- the suffering and grief- that Daniel and his friends would have been experiencing as they entered Babylon.

So where was God in the midst of His people being taken into exile?

well…apparently- right in the middle of it…let’s look at: vs 2 says: 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand,

In other words..this was part of the plan. and not only is God in the middle of it…He is in control of it.

He is the reason that they were taken…if he had not allowed it- King Nebuchadnezzar never would have been able to take them.

Now sometimes we read this and think- how could God do that to His people?

But remember what we talked about last week- God has a plan.

and He uses and choose people to carry out His plan…to bring heaven and earth back to glory.

Nebuchadnezzar thinks that he just invaded the kingdom of Israel- which in their mind- proves that that their Babylonian god was better and bigger and stronger than the God of Israel.

But what Nebuchadnezzar doesn’t realize- is that God’s kingdom just invaded his own- not the other way around.

So here is Daniel and his friends-are taken into the TEMPLE of the Babylonia god.

and in vs 4 we find out they are ready to attend the University of Babylon…

this means they would have had to learn the language…philosophy, science and history of Babylon…in addition they would have taken classes on dream interpretation and omen reading as well as religion- learning about all the polytheistic deities.

They even went as far to change their names in an attempt to change their identity. Your notes unpack their names and their meaning…but essentially they stripped them of names that reminded them of their God- and replaced them with names pointing them to Babylonian gods.

But as we learned last week- no one can ever take away your identity as a child of God, once you are saved and sealed by the Holy Spirit- you are sealed forever.

So how does Daniel live in this foreign, pagan culture who wants nothing to do with the one true God- the one who He knows is actually ruling and reigning?

well, Jeremiah, another old testament prophet who was also exiled in Judah during this time tells God’s people HOW to live in exile.

In Jeremiah 29- he tells the people to seek the peace and the prosperity of the city; to settle; he tells them not to lost their identity…to increase in number…to know WHOSE they are and to stay in covenant relationship as they seek the prosperity of the city.

Jeremiah reminds them to live with a Kingdom perspective and here in Daniel 1 we see Daniel and his friends living that out.

they are going to live in the city of man..but stay in the kingdom of God by keeping a kingdom perspective.

So- he learned the Babylonian culture…he studied what they studied…all while holding on to his foundation as a citizen under the rule and reign of the one true God.

But Daniel also lived on alert- aware of the cultural influence around Him.

He may have been living in Babylon because of circumstances out of his control, but he was resolved…or determined…to not let Babylon get into him.

Babylon was where he lived..but it would never be his home.

The solution wasn’t to escape Babylon and run and live out away from people…

but- when faced with a situation to turn away from god and defile himself through the Babylonian culture..Daniel had made up his mind ahead of time- that this was not an option…

Now- we do not know exactly WHY Daniel objected to eating the Kings food-

- much to my dismay as a mom, the point of this is not “eat your vegetables”

….but we know that in he was asked to do something that would distance Him from the the Lord. and that was not something he was willing to do- He was determined to reflect the Kingdom he belonged to.

…but he also knew- that if he didn’t eat the food and became weak in the kings eyes then the official could be killed.

so, in vs. 8-9 we see that Daniel moves forward with grace and humility.

‌He was not arrogant or rude..…obnoxious or stubborn.

he simply asked for permission.

and again…we see God’s hand in vs 9 as God allowed the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, even though his own life was potentially on the line .

Daniel’s job was not to go in and change the hearts of all the Babylonians.

Heart change- as we can see in this passage- is always God’s job.

But he was called to live faithfully as a citizen of God’s kingdom and reflect God’s character through His integrity to the Babylonians..

and as he does…he reflects the glory of God through his actions to an unbelieving world…

So- Daniel offers a solution that keeps the officer from losing his head and shows his faith in God…and for 3 years- He ate vegetables to the glory of God.

3xs in chp. 1..in vs 2, 9, and 18 we see God’s sovereign hand in the events of Daniel’s life…he sovereignly brought them…carried them…and walked with them- equipping and empowering them to live as faithful kingdom citizens- bringing glimpses of God’s kingdom to an unbelieving nation.

We often want to make Daniel some sort of hero- and there is something to learn here about the way Daniel lived…

But the book of Daniel is not to make a hero out of Daniel for doing such a good job at following Christ.

The Lord Delivered.

Do not miss that God is always in control here.

He brought them to exile…He softened the officials heart…he gave them wisdom and understanding and was the reason they stood out to the King.

That was not their own doing, but God’s.

We desperately need this reminder today…we need Daniel’s example.

in the end- after 3 years, in verses 18-21- they are brought before King Nebuchadnezzar…lets look at vs. 19:

19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.

Your loss of cultural power is part of my plan. I designed this…move in…don’t stay away.

Daniel went through a rigorous liberal education in a Babylonian culture.

Daniel is working with the people who are running the country.

are you locked into assimilation or separation

he mastered it while keeping his distinctive worldview…and was working in the highest level in the pagan culture and following the God of the Bible all the way.

KINGDOM ALLEGIANCE- DANIEL 6

under rule of King Darius who was part of the Persian Empire

Daniel and his friends were learning to navigate and live in a kingdom that was not their home while also being reflections of the kingdom they belonged to to the unbelieving people around them.

as we jump to Daniel chp. 6, Daniel is no longer a teenager..in fact he is now around 80 years old.

Daniel was very high up- one of 3 high ranking officials

let’s look at vs 4…

4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”

Daniel is working for the peace of the city...he is not working for himself or even for the king.

Everyone knew what Daniel stood for and they didn’t know what to do with it. The other leaders got jealous…and so they sought to take him out..

However- he was a model worker and employee- just like all citizens of God’s kingdom should be.

Daniel’s walk with the Lord was one of a consistent walk- people knew it- they saw it…

it wasn’t a crisis only faith where he only when to God when things got tough…

The decision to go into the lions den started in chp. 1 when Daniel RESOLVED- and made up his mind- NOT to defile himself.

As a citizen of God’s kingdom we should not be surprised by persecution. Jesus warned his disciples about it was no different in Daniel’s day than in ours…

The jealous officials new that the one thing Daniel would not back down on was his loyalty and devotion to His god.

So…they trap Him…they get King Darius to basically make himself a god for a month and insist that everyone in the kingdom bow down to him and those that wouldn’t should be thrown into the lions den.

So Darius signs it into law- and the law of the Medes and the Persians was that once a king signed something into law- it was irrevocable and could not be changed. This was to keep kings from wildly making edicts and then taking them back.

One commentator describes what happens next saying: Christian Character is not forged in the moment of adversity. Christian character is revealed in the moment of adversity.

But Daniel- does nothing different- he continues to obey God over man…

vs 10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

Daniel was not praying pridefully for all to see..but he was praying as a public testimony about the glory of God over the glory of Darius.

He had been honoring God since day 1 in Babylon when he refused to defile himself..and he certainly wasn’t going to stop now.

Philippians 3:20 NIV

20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

The officials saw Daniel…and Darius’ hands were tied.

vs 16: 16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

These men KNEW that Daniel would be true to his God…

But Daniel also knew that pas faithfulness was no substitute for the present.

His past had prepared him for the present.

They knew that the ONLY way to

So Daniel’s role in the government is essentially to be a politician. And He is working in a corrupt system- but yet- he was able to work within the system and not be corrupt himself.

He was diligent and had a spirit of excellence in all that he did.

Recognize God Will Use You to Make His Name Famous among the Nations

And all this time, while moving up in the ranks As we move into Daniel chp. 6….

Daniel 6:26–27- One of the most compelling statements on the power of God.

26 “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

“For he is the living God

and he endures forever;

his kingdom will not be destroyed,

his dominion will never end.

27 He rescues and he saves;

he performs signs and wonders

in the heavens and on the earth.

He has rescued Daniel

from the power of the lions.”

Daniel could have been in any job today…he helped open the world to the kingdom of God by stepping into a place where people were not following God and reflecting His kingdom to them.

Principle:

How does the gospel influence how I do my job…

It’s hard to think these things out…it’s easier to just disengage.

Where are you living by FEAR instead of by FAITH.

Have you removed yourself from the world in FEAR of being influenced by it?

Do you interact with non-believers or do you live in a completely Christian bubble?

Do your children watch you interact with a non-believing world as a citizen of heaven?

Do you engage with people who think differently than you?

Do your circumstances control your viewpoint of how things are going? If so- it might be because your Hope is in the wrong place.

We need to bring Gods kingdom into our public schools and universities..into our hospitals…into our political system….into our businesses…reflecting Gods character through our integrity, excellence, humility, compassion for people (core values)

Application:

GODS KINGDOM FOREVER

KINGDOM REVEALED- DANIEL 2

Now- flip back with me to Daniel chp. 2

so Nebuchadnezzar- the one who brought Judah into exile- is still alive and on the throne

and apparently he has a disturbing dream.

Now- in the ancient world-dreams were taken seriously and viewed as future predictions.

So Nebuchadnezzar does what most kings would have done- he calls his wise men to interpret the dream

Except- he decides he isn’t going to tell them dream.

And if they don’t figure it out- they will all die.

Apparently- Daniel and his friends are included in this group that is to be executed.

So Daniel- goes to the king and boldly asks for time to interpret the dream.

because as we already know..Daniel knew the God he served….

and he knew that His God- the God of heaven who is superior and more powerful than all the other Babylonian gods- was the only one who could interpret the dream.

this should be right up Daniel’s alley…I mean- he had attended Babylon University…he took the class on dream reading….

but after all that study…Daniel still knew that prayer to God alone was essential when it came to seeking Him in this situation.

so Daniel goes home- and he tells everyone to pray……and then..he waits…

and in vs 19- God answers- as he reveals the mystery of the dream to Daniel in a vision…

So- he comes to the king- ready to interpret the dream and Nebuchadnezzar asks him if he could tell and interpret the dream..

listen closely to Daniel’s answer in vs 27: “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.

This is a BOLD statement. Nebuchadnezzar was known as a religious man. He really liked his gods…and he faithfully worshipped them.

He knew good and well that what he was asking the wise men to do would require an act of- what he thought- was the gods…

And here- Daniel challenges Nebuchadnezzar’s gods by saying- my god- is greater than your god…

Daniel takes no credit- but gives all glory to God alone. revealing in the process the power of God to Nebuchadnezzar.

So- what did he see. vs’s 31-45 reveals the content of the dream.

There is a giant statue

w/ a head of gold

chest and arms of silver

stomach and thighs of bronze

and legs of iron w/ feet which are part iron and part clay

notice that the list of metals shows a progressive decline in the value of the materials as we go from gold..to silver..to bronze..to iron…to clay…

however..while they decline in value- their strength or ability to endure increases.

But then- a ROCK comes in and strikes the statue at its feet- and the whole statue falls to the ground.

just like that..it’s over.

However- the stone- or the rock becomes a great mountain and fills the whole earth.

Daniel begins to interpret the dream- telling Nebuchadnezzar that his kingdom will fall and so will 3 more kingdoms after him. Your notes explain what many scholars believe those kingdoms represent.

However- what is more important than WHICH Kingdom they represent- is what happens to them…their gone. WIPED OUT..like the chaff from the summer threshing floor..

throughout scripture there is a theme of a rock that will come and the gospel of Matthew tells us that from this rock God will build his church..Psalm 118 tells us that the stone the builders rejected is the cornerstone.

Jesus Christ is the ROCK-he comes in and he smashes worldly kingdoms he brings in the kingdom of God.

vs 44 says: “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.

————————

KINGDOM REIGN- DANIEL 7

So while in chp. 2- God revealed his coming Kingdom- here we will see who Reign’s over the kingdom.

In Daniel 7 we have another vision given to Daniel. This is considered to be a parallel vision to the one in chp 2 that was given to Nebuchadnezzar.

So Daniel is still under the rule of Babylon- but Nebuchadnezzar has died and now Belshazzar is King.

So that means that Daniel had this vision BEFORE the events of chp. 6. Remember what we said at the beginning- Daniel is not chronological.

and while Daniel chps 1-6 are considered narrative and personal, Daniel 7 through the rest of the book is apocalyptic or prophetic.

and Daniel chp. 7 forms the background of Revelation chapters 4 and 5.

Which is where we are going to spend the next two weeks.

so in chp 2 we had 4 kingdoms revealed by a statue and here Daniel has a vision of 4 beasts which also represent 4 kingdoms. Most scholars believe that these are mirrors of each other.

The beasts- or kingdoms- are powerful and terrifying- trampling and crushing their victims..

Daniel is particularly frightened by the 4th beast.

and while in Daniel 2 we learn that God’s kingdom will crush the kingdoms of this world…here the focus is not on the beasts but on the one reigning over them.

So come with me now to vs’ 9-14 where we will enter the courtroom.

and seated on the throne is God- the Ancient of Days

Here Daniel see’s God in His glory- seated on the throne.

Like John in Revelation 1, here Daniel attempts to describe the indescribable while using symbols and imagery.

He says that the Ancient of Days- the one who is REIGNING over this powerful and everlasting Kingdom

- is white like snow- holy, pure, and righteous

- his hair is like whitest wool because he is eternal, pure, and wise

- and His throne is filled with fire on and around it…pointing to his righteous judgement…

and just like we will see in Revelation 5- thousands upon thousands serve him while 10,000 x 10,000 stand before Him…

and in vs 10- everyone is seated..court has begun…and the judgement begins.

but then..in vs 13: God takes Daniel farther into this courtroom seen-

13-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.

One author says “A vision that began like a nightmare with monsters coming out of the sea, ends happily and hopefully with a Man coming out of heaven whom God crowns sovereign over the world!”

Daniel 7:13 is the most quoted verse from Daniel to be found in the New Testament, and the title of a Son of Man is the most frequent name by which Jesus refers to himself.

and just like Jesus was the rock in chp 2…here Jesus is the Son of Man…ruling and reigning…

chp 7 goes on in vs 15-28- taking us deeper into this vision as the dream is interpreted…

at first- the continued description of the beast is disturbing and also hard to understand.

However- when we get to vs 22- we see the God- the ancient of days- steps in pronouncing judgement in favor of the holy people …and they possessed the kingdom.

The beast looks like He is winning- but in one fail swoop. God will step in…and at that moment…

vs 27 says…Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’

Here we learn that the kingdom is not only ruled and reigned by Jesus, the Son of Man, but now also through him to all his people.

Reminding us that in an unbelieving world- one day the Kingdom of God will be brought to earth in it’s fullness where the King and the His people will reign.

If you are one of God’s people…You are not just a part of the kingdom now…but you will be part of it forever and ever…ruling and reigning with Christ…

Revelation 11:15 describes the culmination of earthly kingdom’s being destroyed and God’s kingdom coming in fullness saying “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever.”

Principle: God’s faithful people will reign over His Kingdom forever with Jesus.

Application:

Conclusion

Let’s Pray