Faithful - Part 1

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God reigns over all nations and will bring about His kingdom through His Son, Jesus.

Notes
Transcript

Introduction

Well, good evening!
If you’d take your Bible and turn in it with me to the book of Daniel. We’re gonna be in chapter 7 tonight. And it’s important to understand that the genre’s changing here. Daniel, its broken up into two parts. The first 6 chapters, those are considered narrative…they’re telling a story, giving a factional account of events that happened…the last 6 chapters, as we’ll see, these are giving us prophecies. Some of these prophecies have happened already…and some of ‘em haven’t.
I actually struggled trying to figure out how to teach this chapter to you guys…there’s just so much in this dream we’re gonna see Daniel have. It’s actually one of the most detailed accounts given to us in the Old Testament that points to future events. And what’s even more interesting, its that this chapter, its actually the last chapter in Daniel that’s written in Aramaic. Daniel used Aramaic to write his book, starting in chapter 2, verse 4 and it ends here in this chapter. It begins with King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, if you remember that…and it ends with this parallel vision to Nebuchadnezzer’s dream. Daniel’s gonna go back to Hebrew, starting in chapter 8.
But as we jump into this part of Daniel, I want you to remember that these pieces of Scripture, some of ‘em are heavily debated…and listen, its important that you read the text on your own and figure out where it is exactly you stand. How you interpret these visions and these prophecies determine how you view other areas of Scripture (just as we saw when we went through Revelation, right?)
Because there’s so many views, I only have time to teach what it is I believe to be true…how I’m convicted.
And so, with that, I want you to remember that regardless of where you fall on these ideas, these are areas of Scripture that we can’t be dogmatic on. We can’t let these issues divide us as a church. All that really matters at the end of the day is the fact that Jesus’ll return, He’s gonna defeat Satan, we’ll be resurrected, and as His church, we’ll spend all eternity with Him. Amen?
I mentioned this when we were going through Revelation, but pictures, they’re windows, right? Windows meant to give better understanding. This is part of the reason why we say that “a picture is worth what?” It’s worth a thousand words!
In the business world, companies work to give their employees a clear mental picture of what they hope to accomplish; all so that they’ll buy into their vision and mission.
Oftentimes, this change in genre here, that we’re seeing in Daniel chapter 7…its viewed as problematic or too difficult to understand…and so, unfortunately, a lot of times…people just give up on reading through Daniel at this point. Even Martin Luther, the great Reformer, he said of these prophetic and apocalyptic writings:
“They have a queer way of talking, like people who, instead of proceeding in an orderly manner, ramble off from one thing to the next, so that you cannot make head or tail of them or see what they are getting at.”
There may be some elements of truth in that line, but only some. I know most people prefer movies to books…something more visual. I mean, if you’re honest, I think we’d all prefer picture books…that’s actually why a lot of the most popular books are being republished with artwork in ‘em. I actually just bought a whole new set of Lord of the Rings books because it was illustrated.
And so, hear me out…if that’s you too…then welcome to Daniel’s wonderful world of apocalyptic pictures.
The simplest definition of the word apokalpsis, its revelation (which is exactly why the last book of the Bible bears that name). This genre, its an unveiling - its a pulling back of the curtain, so to speak, on the unseen transcendent world and its role in bringing this present world to an end.
And listen, I don’t want you to be frightened…that’s not the purpose of these chapters. There’s gospel truths here…And I believe if you aim to be a confident and expectant reader, you’re gonna walk away with so much more confidence in the promises of God because of this movie (these pictures) that He’s provided for you through the book of Daniel.
You’re gonna walk away understanding that no matter what happens…no matter what you walk through…God reigns over all nations and He will bring about His kingdom through Jesus.
And so listen, for the sake of time, we’re not gonna read the text all in one setting here…we’ll read pieces of it as we walk through it together…but here’s what its laying out for us…we’re gonna see these four beasts…there’s something here about the Ancient of Days…we see a description given for the Son of Man…and then we see all of this interpreted, giving us a greater understanding of God’s kingdom.
And so, I just wanna walk through each of those things and then wrap it up by giving some application to it.
Fair enough?
Alright let’s jump into it.

I. The Four Beasts (vv. 1-8)

The first thing we see here, in these first 8 verses, its these four beasts.
And so, let’s read this section together:
Daniel 7:1–8 (ESV)
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon (and so we’re going backwards here…we’re back in Babylon…Again, there’s been a shift in the book) It says, “, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
And so again, as we begin reading this text, notice that we’ve kind of taken a step back in time. Verse one, it says that Daniel, he has this dream during the first year of King Belshazzar’s reign in Babylon. So we’re taken back even before chapter five here.
But listen I want you to picture this for a second. In his dream, Daniel sees this sea or large body of water and out of no where, winds from every direction begin to stir up this sea. And all of a sudden these four beast begin to come out of the water one by one. It says first there’s this lion with wings, and then a crazy looking bear…then there’s a leopard with four heads and four wings, and then lastly a beast with iron teeth and ten horns on top its head.
Now, I’m sure you’re reading this, and you’re beginning to realize this isn’t just some ordinary dream, right? . I mean this dream, its terrifying…and in a second we’re gonna see just how frightened Daniel was after he received it.
But before we get into his response we have to understand what’s going on here. Daniel’s dream absolutely points to the future here and I’m gonna show you that in a second but it’s also historical prophecy. While there’s many major views on what these beasts could represent, I believe we have to look back at chapter two and what Nebuchadnezzar was shown to really understand what’s going on.
In chapter two, if you remember, Ol’ Neb, he seen a statue and there were four layers to that statue. The head symbolized Babylon, the chest and arms represented the Medo-Persian empire, the belly and thighs were symbolic for Greece, and the feet were meant to show Rome. I believe, Daniel chapter 7 and the beasts that are presented here represent the same nations. Its why Aramaic begins in chapter 2 and why it ends here.
But listen, let’s take a deepen look at this.
1st Beast – Lion
It says in verse 4 that the first beast, it comes up and out of the water and it looks like a lion with wings; like an eagle.
Do you know what’s scarier than a lion? Come on…a lion with wings! Right?
Verse 4 goes, it goes on and it says that its wings, they were torn off (or some translations, they say it was plucked). And then it says it was made to stand on two legs and it was given the mind of a human.
Now I wanna challenge your memory here for just a second…do you remember what happened to Nebuchadnezzar all the way back in chapter four?…..It says that he was plucked up and out of his kingdom, he was made to walk on four legs, and he was given the mind of a beast. Kind of similar here right? I believe this lion here resembles Babylon…the first beast.
2nd Beast – Bear
But then look at verse 5 again, it says that the second beast, it comes up and out and it looks like a bear. It says this bear, it’s raised up on one side or looped sided, so to speak, and that three rib bones are seen in its mouth. The beast is then told, “Get up! Gorge yourself on flesh.”
Pretty scary right? But what nation is represented here? Think about it…You have this bear that seems to be loop sided or favors one side. It sounds like the Medo-Persian empire. This kingdom was made up of two nations but Persia was the stronger, more prominent of the two. And the two nations historically had three major conquests during their reign that might possibly represent the three rib bones. (Just a side note here…How was Eve made? From the rib bone of Adam. What about the glory of the Medo-Persian empire? From the rib bone of the Babylonian empire).
A lot of dispensationalist, they’ll take this beast and they’ll point it toward modern day Russia or China…but there’s nothing biblical about that interpretation…and there’s just no way the original Israelites reading this would’ve ever come to that conclusion. Russia wasn’t even a thing then.
Listen, when we’re trying to interpret Scripture, especially prophesies…we have to use Scripture to interpret Scripture…not current events and certainly not our culture. Scripture is sufficient for all understanding.
And so, I believe the second beast, its pointing back to the Medo-Persian Empire.
3rd Beast – Leopard
The third beast, in verse 6, its described as being a leopard with four heads and four wings.
For those that watch the Discovery channel, you know what makes a leopard so lethal, its their speed. This beast, its not only fast because it’s a leopard but now it has wings. Its freakishly fast.
And so, in keeping with this theme, this beast, I believe, represents the Greek empire that comes after the Medo-Persians. Alexander the Great, he takes over the known world quickly but also his empire falls apart quickly. At a young age, Alexander dies and he has no heir. His generals, they end up taking command of the nation and they split it up into four different districts, hence the four heads here.
And so, this one…its the Greek empire.
4th Beast – Iron Teeth and Ten Horns
And then, if we continue this progression from chapter two, this would mean the last and most terrifying beast represents Rome. It says that this beast has iron teeth – maybe the iron legion – and that it devours and it crushes.
Listen, this beast, its different because it had ten horns. In verse 8, all of a sudden this little horn pops up and it causes three of the other ones to fall out. Then this cute little horn, its given eyes and a mouth that speaks arrogantly. Right?
What Daniel’s saying here, “This beast, its like nothing I’ve seen before. I can’t even describe it.”
Now, there’s a lot people, they’ll say this little horn, it represents Antiochus Epiphane, (which is just fun to say. I mean, I might just name my next child that). But this guy was terrible. He hated God’s people. He murdered God’s people, so many people claim that’s who Daniel’s seeing and describing here. Also, Daniel’s gonna mention him again in another vision later on so it just makes a lot of sense here.
But a lot of other people refer this little horn to someone discussed later on in the New Testament. The one that Paul calls the man of lawlessness, the Antichrist. One we see in Revelation 13. This is a guy that Satan supposedly rises up, he hates Christians, he wants everyone to worship him. He wants God’s glory and steals God’s fame.
If you want more information on that…go back and listen to my series on Revelation, its on our website. But I believe the Anti-Christ in those passages, there’s multiple ones, and I believe they’re simply the world and all those that reject God.
But understand, as we walk through this…when it comes to prophecy…I believe God gives us windows, using things from the past…things we already know, to point us to the future. I believe that’s ultimately what’s happening here. And He’s giving us earthly things and He’s relating them to heavenly things.
But let’s keep going.

II. The Ancient of Days (vv. 9-12)

What’s this Ancient of Days we see next?
Look verses 9 through 12 with me. It says:
Daniel 7:9–12 ESV
“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. 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. “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
And so, another being of some sort, is being introduced here…and I believe this “Ancient of Days,” its pretty easy to figure out.
It describes His clothing and hair as being white like snow and wool which represents this Being’s purity and righteous. Then it begins to describe His throne as being flaming with fire, having wheels that were blazed with fire. And then, in verse ten it says that thousands upon thousands; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. Now I’m not good at math but that sounds like a lot of people, right? Daniel’s seeing visions of God Himself at the end of the age.
Verse ten is what really sets the stage for this vision. It says, “The court was convened, the books were opened.” And what’s interesting is how this vision directly parallels with John’s hundreds of years later in Revelation 20. Let’s turn there real quick and read verses 11-15:
Revelation 20:11–15 ESV
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
And so this passage here in Revelation, it has a court room scene, it has a throne that no one can escape (kind of like that throne with wheels), it has books that are used to judge, and it has a sea that gave up the dead. Its pretty scary how similar these accounts really are; almost as if they were telling the same story.
And so, what exactly are these books that are discussed in the text here in Revelation and in Daniel? Well, look again, Revelation actually tells us. One is the book of life, which records the children of God. Scripture tells us that if you believe and trust in Christ, your name, its recorded in this book of life…and that when we stand before this throne one day, we’ll be acquitted because of the sacrifice Jesus made to pay for our sins. The other book, its one that reveals our works or deeds.
Listen, raise your hand if you’ve ever did anything bad…Those of you that didn’t raise you hand, you’re either not listening or that deed, it was just recorded.
These books, they’re used to judge those that stand before the great white throne. So going back to Daniel again, look at verse 11. It says that this last beast was standing before the throne and it was speaking. But then it says this beast was killed and destroyed by giving it over to the fire.
Look at how Revelation 20 ends. It says, “Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. And anyone else not found in the book of life, was also thrown into the lake of fire”
The point, that’s not to missed here…God wanted Daniel to know that His ultimate victory over evil, it would be a long time coming. This is about judgement. Righteousness will prevail and these beasts, they’ll be destroyed. Salvation will come.
And so, this Ancient of Day’s here, it’s God...we’re seeing a picture of Him in the heavenly throne room.

III. The Son of Man (vv. 13-14)

The next thing Daniel describes here, its the Son of Man.
Look at verses 13 and 14 with me:
Daniel 7:13–14 (ESV)
“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.
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.
The first parts of this dream, it shows us the depravity of mankind…but listen, the last parts of this dream, it gives us hope.
Before we focus on who this Son of Man actually is. Let’s take a moment and just examine what’s actually given to this Son of Man. It says in verse 14, “He was given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom; so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion, its an everlasting dominion that won’t pass away, and his kingdom, its one that won’t be destroyed.”
Basically, this guy, He’s nothing like the four beast that were mentioned before. He’s the complete opposite.
And listen, He’s different because he’s given authority that’ll last forever.
Look at how this compares to the last and most powerful beast that’s mentioned. Turn with me to Revelation chapter 13. We’re gonna take a look at verses 1 through 10. It says:
Revelation 13:1–10 (ESV)
And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear:
If anyone is to be taken captive,
to captivity he goes;
if anyone is to be slain with the sword,
with the sword must he be slain.
Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.
Pretty cool stuff here, right?…Again we have a sea and a beast that comes up and out of it.
Notice too how this beast also has ten horns. It says he has a mouth like a lion, feet like a bear, it looked like a leopard. He’s all the beast in one, right?
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Look at verse 5 again. It says, “The beast was given a mouth to utter haughty and blasphemous words.”
What did Daniel 7:8 say again about the beast? It says he was speaking arrogantly, right?
Again, it looks like Daniel’s having the same dream John had but like 600 or so years before. That means this dream, it had an immediate meaning for both Daniel and John along with future meaning for ‘em.
But notice Revelation 13:7. It says,“And it was permitted, the beast, to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. It was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.”
And so like the Son of Man, this beast, he’s given authority over the world…but listen, we know that his authority, the beast’s authority, its temporary based off of Revelation 20. He’ll eventually be destroyed.
Some claim this beast here to be the Anti-Christ, I personally just believe its an end to sin and evil…things that man brought about.
But let’s go back to our prior question…Who is this Son of Man back in Daniel?
It’s Jesus, right? Can’t you see the parallels here?
Jesus even confirms this in the Gospel accounts. Look at Mark 14:61-62:
Mark 14:61–62 (ESV)
But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
Jesus, in this passage, He’s directly referring to Daniel chapter 7 when He says “you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.” And before that He says “I am!”
The Son of Man, He is Christ Himself…God with us! The One sent to redeem us from ourselves. The One sent to save us from the depravity of sin.
Look at Daniel again. It says “His dominion, its an everlasting dominion that won’t pass away, and His kingdom, its one that won’t be destroyed.” He’s the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He’s the hope promised to Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 3. He’s the One who’ll conquer Satan and deliver His people from the grips of sin.
That’s who Daniel’s seeing here. It’s a really awesome picture here.

IV. Interpretation (vv. 15-28)

But let’s finish up this chapter.
Verse 15, its says:
Daniel 7:15–28 ESV
“As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’ “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom. “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces. As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings. He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end. And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’ “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.”
And so, Daniel, he wakes up and he’s like “What in the world!”
The text says he was terrified. Verse 16, it says he’s approached by someone, most likely an angel appeared to him and gives him this interpretation much like Gabriel does for Zachariah.
And listen, I love the interpretation given here. Its short and straight to the point.
The angel says, “Yea, those four beasts, they’re kings that are gonna rise up but their kingdoms, they’re not gonna last forever. Instead, there’s gonna be One who comes from Heaven and He’ll receive the kingdom and it’ll last forever.”
Daniel says “Yea that’s good and all but like what’s that last beast all about? That guy’s pretty nasty looking? I wanna know more about him!” Notice here too Daniel says that the little horn, it waged war with the holy ones and PREVAILED over them until the Ancient of Days arrived and rendered judgement on the beast! For me, this is one of those key elements that help shape my end time view. Now, I’m not really gonna dig into that…but it’s one of the reasons why you need to read the text and study the text for yourself.
And so again, the angel’s interpretation, it’s pretty straight forward. He says that a fourth kingdom, it’ll rise up…it’s gonna be stronger than anything else seen before it and it’s gonna take control of the entire earth. And out of this kingdom, ten kings would be produced but one’ll be different from all the others. It’ll actually subdue three of those kings and begin to speak words against God and His people. He says that this horn, it’ll oppress God’s people and it’ll even prevail against them until God strips his dominion away at the end of times.
I love how this account ends. It says, “As for me, Daniel, my thoughts terrified me greatly, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”
This guy, he see some crazy stuff, so much so, that it made him sick. I mean, my dreams are nothing like that.

Application

But listen, here’s what I want you to see from this vision…the application for us here? It’s simple, God, He’s giving us a glimpse of human depravity, He’s giving us a glimpse of this separation that exist between us and Him…But look at what He’s doing…He’s giving us hope by pointing us to Christ, our Savior…the One who’s coming back for His bride. We’re getting a glimpse of the Gospel story here. Yes, we’re sinful, we’re separated. Yes, our sin, it requires judgement. But pay attention here, when we turn our hearts to Christ, He takes on the sentence for our conviction.
I mean, we get this picture of a court room, right?…One where judgement’s rendered! And listen, He’s the only judge I’ve ever seen that declares someone guilty on one hand but on the other, He takes on the punishment for that person. There’s some scary stuff going on here in Daniel, but there’s also hope for you and I.
And yes, this dream, it also shows us what its gonna look like when the world interacts with those who turn to Christ. They’re gonna be persecuted…and these beasts, whatever they are, they’re gonna prevail over us for a time. But pay attention here, as Christians, Daniel and of course, John, they’re showing us that while we might suffer at times in this life…in the end, Jesus is coming back. He’s riding on a cloud…He’s gonna relieve us from that torment. He’s gonna establish a kingdom that lasts forever and ever. That’s our hope…that’s the purpose of this vision. It was to give those in captivity hope of what’s to come…and it was written down to give us hope today.
And so listen, this is how i wanna close…it doesn’t matter how you interpret the end times…know that Jesus is coming, He’s setting all things right, He’s gonna judge the wicked. If you believe the things Daniel’s seeing here, if you believe its gonna come to pass…what are you doing to share the gospel with those around you? What are you doing to live it out? If you take this serious, then you should take the lives of those around you and their salvation serious.
And so, here’s what I wanna do…for just a moment…I know I went long…I just want you to pray, where you’re at, for boldness in sharing the gospel…and for someone specifically by name. You take just a minute or so to do that…and then I’ll close us in just a moment.
[Prayer]
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