Daniel’s Outline of the Future, Part 2

Outline

Daniel’s visions and prophecies, the outline of the future, is given for one express and intent purpose…

Big Idea: Jesus is, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and of his reign, there will be no end.

Babylon (612-539BC)

Medo-Persia (538BC-331BC)

Greece (330-63BC)

Rome (63BC-476BC; Tribulation)

Times of the Gentiles Closed

God’s Kingdom (Daniel 2:44-45)

Introduction

We began last week examining Daniel 2 and 7 to see how it relates to Revelation.

So linked are they that we MUST look at it to see the profound and incredible connection.

We began unpacking the big idea…

Big Idea: Jesus is, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and of his reign, there will be no end.

An unpacking that we intend to resume today.

I am NOT going to reread the chapters in question. They are so long and take so much time, we would not be able to reread the whole chapters.

If you were not here last week or do not remember, I urge you to reread them sometime this week or even watch/rewatch the message from last week to get the context and setup for today.

Body

For today, I want to jump right in and resume with this chart that ended with last week.

Tim Lahaye created a chart to show Daniel’s visions and now they show the outline of history and the future, how Daniel 2,7 fit together with Revelation.

In these two chapters, we are given a view of these nations from two different perspectives.

Daniel 2 views the nations from a Gentile perspective.

These nations are introduced to use here through Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.

Daniel 7 views them from God’s perspective. This explains why we see them as beasts instead of men.

At the time of chapter 7’s happening, Nebuchadnezzar is no longer king. Belshazzar, his son is.

Interestingly, as the book will shift into chapter 7, there are some changes.

Daniel shifts from narrative to visions.

No longer is Daniel seen so much as a dream interpreter but now he is seen as a vision receiver

The language he is writing in will shift.

Chapters 1-6 were mostly in Aramaic. Chapters 7 and beyond will be in Hebrew.

The focus of the first half is on the Gentile nations. Though chapter 7 gives some attention to those same four nations, the focus of the second half is really on Israel.

The focus will change. God is bringing his perspective and focus and the shift will be to address His kingdom more than mans.

The first three kingdoms will be limited in the extent of its authority.

The fourth, however, will be global in it’s authority.

The fifth, we will see, will be eternal, even though it will include a limited 1000 years from Jerusalem.

Now, lets unfold and explain these dreams and visions.

What do they mean?

Who are these kingdoms that will rise and fall?

How does it connect to Revelation?

The first kingdom is easy to identify, even from the text of Daniel.

Babylon (612-539BC)

Represented by the head of gold in chapter 2 and a lion having wings of an eagle in chapter 7 (Daniel 2:32; 7:4)

Daniel 2:32 ESV

32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze,

Daniel 7:4 ESV

4 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.

This kingdom is identified from text of chapter 2 as Nebuchadnezzar’s own kingdom, Babylon

For Daniel, in chapter 7, when he was given this vision of these four beasts, the first would have been remarkably similar to Nebuchadnezzar’s crash into insanity in chapter 4, only in reverse.

In that instant, the king was a man who stood upright who was reduced to a beast like status.

This vision shows a similar though process, in reverse. A beast is made to stand up like a man.

This may very well refer to his humbling and his restoration at the end of the seven years. While not absolute or definitive, it is a distinct possibility.

But, what is made clear to us is this…the head of gold, refers to the Babylonian empire. The greatest of the earthly kingdoms.

The middle three are not identified in the text, but from an examination of history, we are able to discern who they are.

Daniel 2:39-40

Daniel 2:39–40 ESV

39 Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these.

Medo-Persia (538-331BC)

Represented by the silver upper body in chapter 2 and a bear devouring three ribs in chapter 7 (Daniel 2:32; 7:5)

Medo-Persia would conquer Lydia, Egypt, and Babylon - the three ribs.

Greece (330-63BC)

Represented by the belly and thighs made of bronze in chapter 2 and a leopard with four wings and the four heads in chapter 7 (Daniel 2:32; 7:6)

This kingdom would be divided into four kingdoms after Alexander the Great’s death.

Daniel’s deepest questions, his main concern in chapter 7 when he sought understanding for what he saw was centered around this fourth kingdom.

The one with ten horns and the little horn in particular.

This kingdom, we know refers to Rome.

Rome (63BC-476AD; Tribulation)

The first phase of this kingdom is represented by legs of iron in chapter 2 and an unspecified beast with iron teeth and bronze claws in chapter 7(Daniel 2:33; 7:7).

The final phase is described as feet and toes that are a mixture of iron and clay, as well as ten horns or ten kings and “another” (Daniel 2:41-43; 7:24-25)

We will also see the verbally pompous “little horn” that will be no stranger to Daniel’s visions and will resurface in Revelation as well.

In Daniel, some or all of these characters again in chapter’s 8 and 11 and John will see some of them in Revelation 13.

In Revelation 13, though, we see the same four beast listed in reverse order. Daniel was looking forward and seeing them in the order that they would be arriving. John is looking back and seeing them in order from most current to the oldest.

John sees the fourth base as thus in Revelation 13:1

Revelation 13:1 ESV

1 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.

Rome is identified in Daniel as iron mixed with clay because it was a kingdom of division. They were always pitted against one another.

Eventually the kingdom would be divided into eastern and western empires.

Dissension, disunity, and distance would ultimately be the downfall of the nation.

HERE IN REVELATION, we once again see Rome as an authority and influence in the world.

At some point in the future, the Roman empire will be revived.

Out of it will rise ten horns, or ten kings and out of these ten ONE LITTLE HORN, one king will rise.

Maybe you see where this going…

Daniel 7:24-25

Daniel 7:24–25 ESV

24 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. 25 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.

Out of ten rises one.

This one will put down three in his rise to be the one.

He will speak against the most hight

Time will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time…

Does that sound familiar?

Who does this sound like from Revelation?

The Anti-Christ.

And the time he will be granted authority to rule during the Tribulation period.

This ONE LITTLE HORN will place himself over the others and will establish the ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT.

This ONE LITTLE HORN will wage war on the saints who refuse to bow their knee to him, as the rest of the world is.

Revelation 7:14-17 depict the aftermath of this war.

Revelation 7:14–17 ESV

14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

These ones in heaven, killed for not bowing the knee to the beast, to the anti-christ, are seen to be worshipping in heaven.

Revelation builds upon Daniel’s prophecy and further develops THE FOURTH and FINAL PHASE of the fourth kingdom that will play a significant role during the Tribulation as the Anti-Christ’s kingdom.

Dr. John Wolvoord notes

“The minute description given here of the end time, the fourth beast, and the ten horns followed by the eleventh horn that gained control of three has never been fulfilled in history. Some expositors have attempted to find ten kings of the past and the eleventh king who would arise to somehow fulfill this prophecy, but there is nothing corresponding to this in the history of the Roman Empire. The ten horns do not reign one after the other, but they reign simultaneously. Further, they were not the world empire, but they were the forerunner to the little horn which after subduing three of the horns will go on to become a world ruler (v. 23; Rev 13:7).”

John Wolvoord

This prophecy, given in Daniel, is finally and completely fulfilled during the time of Tribulation, the time that Revelation speaks of.

It is in the fulfillment of this prophecy that the Times of The Gentiles will be drawn to a close.

Times of the Gentiles Closed

Interestingly, Amir Tsfarti pointed out in his book, Discovering Daniel, that

The Bible begins with Gentiles. Adam and Eve were Gentiles. So was Noah.

Abraham was actually the first Jew.

SO, other Gentile nations existed from the beginning of time, though they are really only ever mentioned in terms of their connection to and relationship with Israel.

Israel, the Jews, began with Abraham and were intended to be the light the world, a light to the Gentiles. (Isaiah 49:6).

But they failed.

So, God sent those Gentiles in to rebuke and correct and Israel. From 722 BC and onward, when the Assyrians took the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and 605 BC when Babylon took the Southern Kingdom of Judah, the land of Israel has been dominated or has been influenced by Gentiles.

THIS is the Time of the Gentiles.

A time that will come to end at the end of the Tribulation

A time that this prophecy speaks to.

Daniel’s prophecy will show his plan for Israel, and for the Gentiles, that will show the Gentiles in control for a time, but ultimately, the Time of the Gentiles will end and Israel will rule, they will control, not only their own land, but the world.

BECAUSE

Here is where the fifth kingdom comes in to play

Daniel makes clear that despite the anti-christ’s authority, it will be limited, and it will be brief.

Daniel 7:26-27

Daniel 7:26–27 ESV

26 But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end. 27 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.’

It will be stripped away from him and given to Christ, where it rightfully belongs.

The last kingdom, the fifth, will also be identified from the text.

God’s Kingdom (Daniel 2:44-45)

Daniel 2:44–45 ESV

44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

The stone that was “cut out by no human hand” is Jesus.

He will come and crush every other kingdom; they will be no more, like chaff in the wind, and He bring all kingdoms under the authority of His.

Some will try to allegorize this stone when they are literally interpreting the other kingdoms, but that does not make good interpretative sense.

This ALSO refers to a literal kingdom that will be coming.

God has been promising throughout scripture to set up a kingdom when His own Son on the throne (Ps 2:4-6)

Psalm 2:4–6 ESV

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

Zion is in Jerusalem.

The Son of God WILL rule from there

AND

Gentiles will also seek him and follow Him. (Isaiah 11:10)

Isaiah 11:10 ESV

10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

Gentiles is plural. This will be a global reality.

This rule will last for…(any guesses)…1000 years

Revelation 20:4-6.

Revelation 20:4–6 ESV

4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

This fifth kingdom is the 1000 year reign.

This one 100 year reign will be the BEGINNING of the eternal kingdom but will not be the eternal kingdom, yet.

At the end of the 1000 years, final judgments will be made, the new heaven and new earth will be created, and the eternal kingdom will be here in full.

THESE are the things that Revelation picks up on; things Daniel began and John was given the completion of in his visions.

In Daniel 7, the depiction of this moment, of this fifth kingdom enters in verses 13-14

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.

In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the depiction of this fifth kingdom was that of a stone not cut from human hands that rolled in and took out the Roman empire, the one made of iron and stone.

In this portion of the vision, Daniel is seeing the ROCK rolling in with His kingdom in tow.

This is not the only time we see the Son of Man coming into the presence of God, described in Daniel 7 as THE ANCIENT OF DAYS.

John also sees it. (Revelation 5:6-7)

Revelation 5:6–7 ESV

6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.

We know from our study of John, that the title “Son of Man” is often used in connection to Christ. It is a messianic title.

We know that the use of it here in Daniel is in fact referring to Christ, because he is given all authority and dominion and the peoples worship Him.

In Revelation, when he appears before the Ancient of Days, he is referred to as The Lamb…but they are, in fact, the same person.

The vision in Daniel 7 IS the picture that John will see later in Revelation of the Son of Man descending from heaven, alighting on Mount Olive and claiming His kingdom.

Daniel and John are seeing the same event. The inauguration of the fifth kingdom.

The end of the Time of the Gentiles

The full and final authority of Jesus taking up residence on earth and forevermore.

Conclusion

Daniel’s visions and prophecies, the outline of the future, is given for one express and intent purpose…

Big Idea: Jesus is, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and of his reign, there will be no end.

Babylon (612-539BC)

Medo-Persia (538BC-331BC)

Greece (330-63BC)

Rome (63BC-476BC; Tribulation)

Times of the Gentiles Closed

God’s Kingdom (Daniel 2:44-45)

INDEED, church, Daniel and Revelation so so inextricably linked that you cannot hope to separate the two.

And in the pairing, we behold a picture of God as the one who sets up and tears down every kingdom of man for His own glory.

Big Idea: Jesus is, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and of his reign, there will be no end.

THAT is the point of Daniel’s outline of the future.

God has a plan.

One in which He WILL rule and reign with absolute authority. In this, we can hope beyond hope and have joy and peace.

Application

How can Daniel's prophecies affirm your faith in God's sovereignty over history?

In what ways does acknowledging Jesus as the eternal King impact your daily life and decisions?

How does understanding the eventual end of the kingdoms of man influence your perspective on current world events?

What can you do to prepare your heart for the eventual establishment of God's eternal kingdom?

How might you share what you've learned about God's eternal kingdom with your friends in a relevant way

How does understanding the prophetic visions inspire you to seek God's purpose for your future?

What does the promise of Jesus' return mean for your identity as a follower of Christ in today's world?