Daniel 7:13-14 "Foretelling The Kingdom" pt.5

Introduction

The Book of Daniel deals with the history of God’s covenant people that took place after the multiple assaults on the southern Kingdom of Judah.

Jerusalem fell around 586 B.C. during the third invasion against Judah.

Daniel was actually taken captive during the first invasion at around 605 B.C. He was taken to Babylon during the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar.

During his captivity in Babylon Daniel had a series of disturbing visions about the future and our text this morning is dealing with one of them.

This particular text is foretelling the Kingdom by directing us to the King Himself and the nature of His rule.

If you have been with us through this whole series on the Kingdom you may notice some similarities with other text that we have visited over the last several weeks.

Notice we see the Kings identity being referred to in verse 13:

I. The Identification of the King (13).

The imagery is familiar because we saw this same picture being described back in Matthew 24:30.

It is where Christ returns after the tribulation period by coming on the clouds in all of His glory. He will gather His elect with the sound of the trumpet and pour out His wrath on the wicked on the same day.

Jesus identified Himself as the Son of Man. So there is no doubt on the identity of this one who is coming in the clouds here in Daniel 7.

He is brought before the “Ancient of Days”, which is a reference to God the Father. Then a presentation takes place where the Son of Man receives from the Ancient of Days. Look at verse 14:

II. The Presentation to the King (14).

By presentation I am referring to the Father, the Ancient of Days, bestowing gifts upon the Son of Man.

The Son of Man is given dominion, glory and a kingdom (14a).

All three of these terms in the original language denote some aspect of royalty. And the Father is the one who has initiated this gift to Him.

The Son of Man is given a sovereign reign that is set over all the nations of the world for all time and it will never pass away (14b).

The Son of Man is given a kingdom that is incapable of being destroyed (14c).

III. Application

Christian we should never limit this dominion or associate it with being no greater than just an experiential aspect of this physical world.

And I know it is hard because the physical world is far more easy for us to relate to.

It is when we ponder the Spiritual nature of the Kingdom that we usually find it harder to understand the absolute nature of His reign.

Physical aspects appear currently to be more real and definite over and above the Spiritual. We have this view because we think from a materialistic worldview.

So we read passages like this along with other text that make these great theological claims about Christ and His reign and yet from an experiential perspective it appears they are far removed from reality.

Especially when even in the midst of celebrating a spiritual truth like Christmas and a bomb goes of in one of our major cities in America.

Or when it appears that evil so often triumphs over what God has deemed as being good. Or when prayers get said but it seems they don’t get answered and the miracle doesn’t come through.

Or the sin that so easily entangles us seems to keep us tied in knots.

Or when despair can easily set in and it can even turn into a way of life where we grow accustom to the darkness of a fallen world.

Christian the wonderful truth of the absolute nature of the Spiritual is the rock that holds us simply because of the identity of the One who rules over it all even down to the smallest details of our earthly existence. All of these things will be set right one day, either in this life or the one to come.

The rule of Christ is guarantees it because it is rooted in the Eternal Being of God. John 4: 24 tells us that God in His essence is Spirit and He is the most absolute Being in existence.

Therefore the dominion of Christ is established upon the foundation of absolute certainty.

This dominion is set over all physical nations and peoples and as we have seen in weeks past even death itself will eventually be put under His feet.

The reign of Christ transcends time as we know it in this physical world. So hard for us because we live by set times as we go through our lives. We have to be somewhere often according to some kind of time table.

I have a smart watch that talks to me in a woman’s voice. This voice speaks to me and tells me what time it is, “It’s 4 O’Clock”

I need John Wayne’s voice coming on telling me “Pilgrim it’s 4 O’Clock”.

Christian Christ rules and governs the Universe and beyond in a way that we struggle to understand due to our inherent limitations in this fallen world.

Scripture pulls us and directs us to the Spiritual reality of the eternal perspective.

Instead of seeing it as contrary to our experiential we need to see Scripture as supplementing the perceived reality of the physical world. We are to see reality as God describes it.

Let me explain what I mean. “Christ rules and reigns over the Nations” is a theological proposition. We may weigh that proposition and reject it because of our perceived experiential reality it doesn’t appear to be true.

So we set the Biblical declaration in opposition to our our experience.

This is counter-productive to cultivating a biblical worldview and enhancing your Spiritual growth.

It only serves to make you more humanistic and rational in your worldview.

We have to see Scripture as setting the grand context that informs or supplements our human experience. Scripture informs our Faith which governs our understanding of the world in which we live.

“Christ rules and reigns over the Nations” is the informative Faith principle that governs how we should see this working out in a fallen world.

And obviously that principle is a biblical truth. We have heard a series of sermons declaring it again and again but in our experiential world it appears that most all the Nations didn’t get the memo world leaders are substituting something else for Christ.

I think America got it at one time and so did other Nations. What happened? Scripture was set in opposition to reality and something else started informing our worldview as a Nation.

And today the only absolute morality is that “there is no absolute morality” and we are over-run with corruption in our government and our society.

Christian if we, the Church, are going to be salt and light to the Nations it seems to me we have to reclaim the absolutes of God’s established Word and His sovereignly appointed King.

Make no mistake the globalism that we see pressing into our world is not interested in the absolute rule and reign of Christ. The lines are being drawn even as we speak.

Even churches are aligning with the globalist in a quest to maintain some form and sense of relevancy to society. This is a fools errand because the Church is to have allegiance to King Jesus.

The true Church of the living God is united under the Banner: No King but Christ! Our allegiance is to Him.

Christian to whom can we go? Only He has the words of eternal life, only He has overcome the world, only He holds the keys to life and death.

Christian if Christology isn’t informing your worldview then what is? Your personal preferences? The path of least resistance depending whats easiest at the particular moment? Is it the internal appetites of your flesh?

What is it that is informing your worldview? Does your worldview match Scripture? If not the rats are in the corn. There are ares where Scripture is being set in opposition to some aspect of your experience.

Conclusion

Maybe today the Absolute nature of the Reign of Christ may challenge the fidelity of your allegiance. Sounds militant doesn’t it?

But the Spiritual reality is there is profound grace and relentless love being extended from the throne of Christ to you. Scripture declares it as true.

He is aware of our fallen state and has worked salvation for us by grace. Confess your sin and receive.

Unbeliever: The gospel is being held out to you again believe the gospel.

Lets pray!