Sermon - Daniel 7:7-14 - The King - Littleby Baptist Church - June 28, 2020
Last week we started Daniel chapter 7 and only went through
half of the verses I had originally planned. We may get stuck in the weeds now
and again as we work through the second half of Daniel, but I think it is
important that we understand what it means.
7 verses and 4 beasts that line up with the statue from
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The dream, the beasts, and the creation of each of the
kingdoms they represent were brought about by the one and only almighty God. He
is the one that rules over all earthly kingdoms and He is the one that elevates
one to rule when the time is right.
The first beast that looked like a giant lion with eagle’s
wings, the statues pure gold head, was Babylon under the leadership of king
Nebuchadnezzar.
The second beast that looked like a bear that was told to
gorge itself on flesh is the silver chest and arms from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
They represent the Mede and Persian Empire that grew by conquering nation after
nation.
A leopard with four wings and four heads was the third beast
which matched up with the bronze stomach and thighs from the dream. Alexander
the Great and his kingdom were the leopard and the four heads represent how his
kingdom split four ways after his reign.
Then the fourth beast appeared, it was nothing like the
others, not that they were ordinary in any way shape or form. From the dream
the fourth beast was the iron and iron and clay mixed parts of the statue. The
fourth beast starts as the Roman Empire that crushed everything before it and
is still the beast or kingdom that exists today.
Revelation 13:2
“2 The beast I saw was like a
leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth.
The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority.”
This fourth beast is the one described in Revelation. It
represents the time we live in until judgement falls on the antichrist.
We are going to pick back up at verse 7.
Daniel 7:7
“7 “After this, while I was watching
in the night visions, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, frightening and
dreadful, and incredibly strong, with large iron teeth. It devoured and
crushed, and it trampled with its feet whatever was left. It was different from
all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns.”
The ten horns of the fourth beast and the ten toes from
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream represent the ten kings or kingdoms that will be in
place when the Antichrist appears. We will get into more detail on this as we work
through the chapter.
Daniel 7:8
“8 “While I was considering the
horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of
the first horns were uprooted before it. And suddenly in this horn there were
eyes like the eyes of a human and a mouth that was speaking arrogantly.”
Daniel was focusing on the ten horns found on the fourth beast
and then three were knocked out by a new horn as it grew. This new horn had
eyes, meaning it had knowledge or intelligence, but it was an arrogant and blasphemous
little thing.
Revelation 13:5-6
“5 The beast was given a mouth to
utter boasts and blasphemies. It was allowed to exercise authority for
forty-two months. 6 It began to speak blasphemies
against God: to blaspheme his name and his dwelling—those who dwell in heaven.”
In Revelation we see that the beast was given a mouth and
was allowed to exercise authority. Meaning that God will allow the antichrist
to have power when the time comes to carry out God’s will. I know it may sound
odd that God allows the antichrist to have power, but in many ways, it is no
different than God using Nebuchadnezzar to judge Israel and plunge them into a
70 year exile. A time will come when the antichrist will have the power to wage
war on the faithful followers of our Lord and Savior Jesus. He will rule the
earth for 42 months and sway many from following our Lord.
Daniel 7:9
“9 “As I kept watching, thrones were
set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was white
like snow, and the hair of his head like whitest wool. His throne was flaming
fire; its wheels were blazing fire.”
Here we transition from the beasts who are given dominion
over the earth for a time, to thrones in heaven. The throne of the Ancient of
Days as well as others were set in place.
In this verse the Ancient of Days is Father God who takes a
seat on His throne. He and those He has given authority to judge are preparing
to judge those who come before them. His white clothing and hair speak to His
Holiness, His Purity, His ability to be the ultimate judge. His blazing throne represents
the swift judgment that falls on those who are deserving, like fire is swift to
destroy all before it.
Daniel 7:10
“10 A river of fire was flowing, coming
out from his presence. Thousands upon thousands served him; ten thousand times
ten thousand stood before him. The court was convened, and the books were
opened.”
The fire flowing from His presence shows that God the Father
is ready to pass judgement. The thousands and the ten thousands attending Him,
were those who were there to carry out the Father’s will. The Judge has sat at
His throne and was ready to cast judgement as the books were opened. All of our
lives are documented in these books, which include the Lambs book of life.
Revelation 20:4-5
“4 Then I saw thrones, and people
seated on them who were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those
who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the
word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not
accepted the 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 completed.”
This is not the final judgment where Satan is finally judged
once and for all. This is the judgement of the fourth beast and those who live
during that time. This is the judgement that is passed by the Father against the
antichrist. Those thousands and tens of thousands sitting in judgement of
others are those who have stayed faithful, those who were murdered for their
faith during the coming tribulation.
Daniel 7:11-12
“11 “I watched, then, because of the
sound of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued watching, the
beast was killed and its body destroyed and given over to the burning fire. 12 As
for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was removed, but an extension of
life was granted to them for a certain period of time.”
Imagine sitting before the blazing throne of our God and
seeing Him pass judgement on the fourth beast and the antichrist. The almighty,
in all His Glory and Power is judge, jury, and executioner.
Let’s look at Nebuchadnezzar’s dream once again.
Daniel 2:44-45
“44 “In the days of those kings, the
God of the heavens will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this
kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms
and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever. 45 You
saw a stone break off from the mountain without a hand touching it, and it
crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told
the king what will happen in the future. The dream is certain, and its
interpretation reliable.””
The Rock, our Lord Jesus, crushes the statue, crushes the
other kingdoms or beasts and establishes a kingdom that will endure forever.
Revelation 19:19-21
“19 Then I saw the beast, the kings
of the earth, and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider
on the horse and against his army. 20 But the beast was
taken prisoner, and along with it the false prophet, who had performed the
signs in its presence. He deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and
those who worshiped its image with these signs. Both of them were thrown alive
into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 The
rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the
horse, and all the birds ate their fill of their flesh.”
Daniel’s vision portrays a court room judgement but in
Revelation we see a great battle where Jesus comes and executes the Father’s
judgement on all who followed the antichrist. This is not the end, but it is
the end of things as we know it. The antichrist and the false prophet are
destroyed, but the devil will return.
Luke 21:20-24
“20 “When you see Jerusalem
surrounded by armies, then recognize that its desolation has come near. 21 Then
those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Those inside the city must leave it,
and those who are in the country must not enter it, 22 because
these are days of vengeance to fulfill all the things that are written. 23 Woe
to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for there will be great
distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24 They
will be killed by the sword and be led captive into all the nations, and
Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are
fulfilled.”
These verses in Luke talk about a time when Jerusalem will
be surrounded by armies. Some will point to history and when the temple was
destroyed and say this has already happened. If you look at Jesus final words
in these verses ‘until the times of the gentiles are fulfilled.’ The times of
the gentiles is not a phrase that we hear very often. We are living in the time
of the gentiles and while their may be some debate on exactly when it started,
there is no debate that the time of the gentiles ends with the destruction of the
fourth beast and the antichrist.
Daniel 7:13-14
“13 I continued watching in the night
visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of
heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. 14 He
was given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom; so that those of every people, nation,
and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that
will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.”
This is one of those events in our future that it would be
absolutely amazing to witness. Our Lord and Savior, the One and Only Jesus
Christ comes before God the Father and is crowned as King. Jesus is our Lord
and King, but in this instant He goes from being our Spiritual King to being
the One who has been given the kingdom of earth to rule. There is no longer a
king like Nebuchadnezzar or Alexander the Great, the antichrist is no longer
around, it is all King Jesus.
As King Jesus, His dominion, His kingdom, His reign will
have no end. There will be no way of destroying it.
The takeaway from the last two weeks is, that no matter what
happens in this world Jesus is King. He is our Lord and Savior today and will
be handed the kingdom at the appointed time.
Often when we look to the coming tribulation, the
persecution, the impact it will have on any who live through it, and there is a
sense of concern or fear. We know that from today till the day that the
antichrist is judged, persecution of believers will only get worse. I pray for
hearts to be changed, I pray for revival, I pray to the Spirit of the Lord to
break through the darkness. While those things will happen in one form or
another, the Bible tells us that things will get much worse than they are
today.
Thankfully it does not end there, and we need to remember
that our Lord Jesus is greater than he that is in this world. Our Lord will be
triumphant in the end.
John 11:25-26
“25 Jesus said to her, “I am the
resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will
live. 26 Everyone who lives and believes in me will
never die. Do you believe this?””
Jesus said if we believe in Him, we will never die! That is
what we need to hang our hope on. If Jesus is our Lord and Savior, if we choose
to follow Him, we will not die. This earthly life will come to an end, but then
we get to spend an eternity in His presence.
God Bless!
Robert
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