I invite you to turn in your Bibles to Daniel, chapter seven, as we continue our study of the Book of Daniel. And let me just say, as you turn from chapter six to chapter seven, you're not just changing chapters, we are changing whole worlds, really, in the Book of Daniel. And one of the reasons we're doing this Friday, the eschatology night, where one of the things we're going to do is going to lay out, hey, here are the views Christians have about the end times. We're going to add some pastoral comments about how to think about the end times. We're going to answer questions live from people about the end times. And so, and we promise it's not going to be weirder than the Bible makes it. So I would say I could promise it's not weird, but it is. The end times are wild, but we're not going to be any weirder than the Bible. So we'd love to know where to host that event. So if you could let us know you're coming to that, that would be helpful. But one of the reasons we're doing that is the last half of Daniel looks forward to the coming of Christ and coming and forward to the second coming of Christ as we'll begin to see today. And let's remember just as Daniel chapter six was profoundly familiar and Daniel chapter seven is going to seem in many ways profoundly unfamiliar, both are equally inspired by God. Both are equally breathed out by God. So we're going to read a section to begin and then take in the whole chapter as we walk through it.
Chapter seven, verse 13. We're going to read verses 13 and 14 to begin. This is God's word. 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. This is God's word.
And Lord, I pray. We pray this every week, but I pray especially today you would give us eyes to see and take in the visions that you have before us that we might be edified and built up and strengthened and encouraged in Jesus name. Amen.
Well, as a kid I loved monster movies, but particularly Godzilla monster movies. I, as a kid saw a Guy in a rubber suit smashing like a little made up city. And I knew it was that. And it was just the best. Like, when you're eight, is there anything better than watching, like a guy in a rubber suit destroy a fake town? There's nothing better. I love it.
And I remember as I grew up, kind of grew up in my understanding of what those movies were. I grew up and eventually, only years later, realized that especially the first Godzilla was a profoundly important movie in many ways for the country of Japan. The first Godzilla movie came out in 1954, in an era where Japan was still reeling from the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And they emerged from World War II only to find the US and USSR, the world's two superpowers, in a nuclear arms race. As the world began to threaten itself with nuclear destruction. And for those in Japan, it wasn't an idea, it was a reality that they lived in as they. They sorted through the radiation and the destruction of two large cities. This led to the creation of this monster emerging from the water in the movie Godzilla. Godzilla, created by nuclear radiation was a stark reminder from Japan to the rest of the world that the present and the future are more dangerous than you think, that the threat of destruction is more imminent than you may realize. I didn't realize that I was all behind the guy in the rubber suit.
And our text today functions with a similar warning. We have some strange. In a second, we're going to see monstrous creatures emerging from the sea. And they, like Godzilla, represent something else. They represent the destructive and dangerous empires of the earth. And similarly to that 1954 film, they exist to tell us, watch out, the present and the future are more dangerous than you think. Don't be asleep at the wheel. Here is what the Daniel chapter seven says. But it's followed by a beautiful encouragement. You might not think that this passage of monsters is actually one of the most encouraging chapters in the Bible, but it is. And the second half of it tells us, take heart, the present and the future are more full of hope than you can imagine. Those two contrasting realities are our guide to this particular text.
6 · Signals the first major section of the sermon addressing the danger of the present and future
So, first text, first section. Rather a present and a future. Worse than you think.
7 · Extended reading of Daniel 7:1-8, presenting the four monstrous beasts emerging from the sea with vivid detail
Verse 1. In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. And 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 eagle's 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. Behold, another beast, the 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. And after this I saw in the night visions. And behold, fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth, and 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. It had 10 horns. And I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, which before which the 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.
8 · Addresses the congregation's likely disorientation at the shift from familiar Daniel narratives to apocalyptic imagery, normalizing their surprise and discomfort
Welcome to the second half of Daniel. This is the part of Daniel that less people are familiar with, and perhaps you can see why. If you know anything about Daniel, you know, hey, you know, the lion's den and the three guys in the furnace. Those are great. Those are encouraging. And then you flip the page for more encouragement and you find this monsters emerging, like some sort of Japanese movie from the ocean, destroying things.
9 · Uses contemporary genre examples (email, government document, poem) to teach the congregation that they already understand genre interpretation and should apply that instinct to Scripture
And we got to realize that we have moved types of literature in this book, genres, if you will. And we know in our own world that different types of writing are to be interpreted differently. For example, if you. If you see the following subject line, last Friday's payroll, you know what to expect. What is that, a text or a what? An email. Right. Somebody said, Yep, an email. Or if you read something like this, we, the people of the United States, in order to perform a more perfect union. What do you expect? What kind of literature is that? Right. The Declaration of in dependence. Right. Or weighty government document. All right, last one. See who gets this. If you read two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, what type of literature is that? A poem. Right. So you understand instinctively. Look, you guys are already genre experts. And the reality is, funny, sometimes Christians, when they come to the Bible, when we get to a new genre, we get intimidated. Like, oh, I don't know what to. No, you guys are used to this. You do this every day.
10 · Defines apocalyptic literature and corrects the common misunderstanding that it requires special decoding—it actually clarifies rather than obscures reality
And so this genre, this type of literature, let me introduce it to you. It is called apocalyptic literature. If you're not familiar with it. Put simply, apocalyptic literature uses powerful imagery to help us not to confuse things, not so that you need some secret decoder ring to get, you know, to sort your way through it. That's actually the opposite purpose of apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic literature is meant to help you see better. These images are meant to be vivid, striking pictures that help us understand the world around us and the future.
11 · Demonstrates how vivid imagery clarifies rather than obscures by comparing a flat description to a richly imagistic one
Let me give you one example of how this works. If I tell you that a lady came into the coffee shop and she wore a sweater, and she frowned a bit, like you can picture her, right? A lady coming in with a sweater, frowning. But if I tell you a disheveled lady in an old sweater stormed into the coffee shop with an icy look about her, her eyes shooting daggers at everyone in the shop. Can you picture her better? Yes. In fact, I've used images there to help you understand. Oh, man. She came in, she's not happy. Something must have happened to her. You get it? Similarly, these Images in Daniel 7 to 12 will. Will be strange images at times, but they will actually reveal more to us about the world around us.
12 · Explains that Scripture interprets its own apocalyptic imagery, showing that the sea represents chaos, the beasts represent evil empires, and the text functions as a warning to God's people to stay alert to surrounding danger
And often. Here's the good news about apocalyptic literature. Often, Scripture itself gives us the interpretation. We always believe in allowing scripture to interpret scripture. So if you'll skip really briefly to verses 15 and 16, look at what you find there. 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. Aren't you glad Daniel asked? I'm so glad. He just put his hand up and goes, I'm not. Not understanding here. Verse 17. Very simply, these four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. Oh, there we go. These beasts represent kings and you could say their kingdoms raging on the surface of the world. Now, notice what we learn about these creatures. First, these are evil and destructive creatures. They come up out of the sea. And the sea, in scripture and in ancient Near Eastern literature, represents chaos and destruction. So these things we already know, like in scripture, you don't go to the beach, right? Nothing good comes out of the sea in scripture, okay? If you're at the sea, something's emerging, you're running. It's the Godzilla run, right? Just with the thing behind it. That's what you should be doing. And to see this chaotic force exists because when sin entered the world, rebellion entered the world. Humanity turned to open rebellion against its creator. And therefore chaos and destruction have been the result. And these monstrous creatures, in a sense, are coming out of that destructive, chaotic, sin destroyed world. They, if you notice, they are weird and disfigured and monstrous and they're meant to be. You're not meant to go, ah, you're meant to go, ah, right? That's, that's the reaction you should be having to the four beasts. They are bent and disfigured in unholy ways. But notice then underlying this is one clear, simple point to God's people as God's people. Look out at the world around them. This text tells them, wake up. The world around you, the rulers around you, the empires around you, they are more evil and more destructive than you think, right? So don't be asleep at the wheel here. Wake up, realize this is a dangerous, tense, terrifying world, right? In every monster movie there is always. I don't know why they do this. There's always one person with their headphones in, like vacuuming. Have you ever noticed that, right? The monster's coming into the city and then there's one, you know, one guy who's like, do, do, do, do do do do, do do. You know, he's, he's just vacuuming or doing whatever. And you as the moviegoer are like, watch out, it's behind you. And he's just like, that's just, he's in every movie. I don't know. He never learns. This text, the first half of it is given to God's people. That we might not be that guy, right? That we would be aware that the world around us is dangerous and destructive and that we might be on our guard.
13 · Identifies the four beasts with specific historical empires (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome) and argues that Daniel's accurate prediction validates Scripture's trustworthiness, while also indicating the pattern extends into the future
Now these empires follow one after the other after the other. And they, they seem to. This is not the main point of this vision, but they seem to have clear ancient interpretations that ancient empires that are given to their interpretation. So for example, the first one seems to be representing Babylon, right? Where Nebuchadnezzar is humiliated. But then he's raised up and given his mind again. So that seems to be Babylon. The second one seems to be the Medo Persian Empire with two sides to the empire, one higher than the other. The third seems to be as this leopard, this creature of speed with wings, so it's even faster. Seems to indicate Alexander the Great, whose empire breaks into four pieces. And then the fourth seems to be Rome itself. The with its iron teeth its uniquely destructive empire. Now, I will say this. One reason, Christians, that it is that your Bible is trustworthy is that it's been proven in its trustworthiness over the centuries. This text in the 6th century lays out very clearly 2 to 300 years of world history in some level of detail. And as a result, oftentimes modern scholars, they date it much later because they're like, yeah, nobody could have predicted this, so it must have been written later. And Christians are going, or just saying, or the God of the universe could have told Daniel and he wrote it down. You're like, that's no, that can't be possible. Right. But we as Christians are like, yep, proven over and over and over again with one clear message. Now, this succession of 10 horns seems to mean a large number. And. And I think the. The imagery of this is there's one beast and another beast and another beast and another beast, and then this succession of horns representing a succession of rulers that just stretch out kind of into the distance as far as we can see. Meaning that this pattern of destructive empires will occur now and into the future.
14 · Applies the vision's warning by calling Christians to realistic awareness of evil's strength and to unsurprised response when the world acts worldly
So what is the application for us? Well, I think Sinclair Ferguson sums it up in one sentence. He says this. The people of God must never be naive about the reality, strength or durability of evil. Right? And here's one of the things this passage does. It helps us as Christians be unsurprised when the world acts like the world. I think over and over, sometimes Christians are like, I can't believe it. The world is so worldly. And Daniel 7 is like, yeah, can you believe what they put in that movie? Yep. Can you believe what this ruler did in the world? Yep, we can. It's there. Daniel 7, right? The world is raging against Creator. We should not be surprised.
15 · Signals the shift from warning to encouragement, introducing the hopeful side of Daniel 7's dual message
But second half. Not only does this passage warn us, this passage says, christian, take heart. The world, the present and the future are far more hopeful than you can imagine.
16 · Establishes the corrective purpose of the passage—not to induce fear but to calm it—and previews the three sources of hope to be explored
Ian Dogood says this. The purpose of the passage is not to give us nightmares. You're like, oh, good, thank you. The purpose of the passage is not to give us nightmares, but to calm our Nightmares. And in fact, there's three things this passage gives us that helps us see that the present and the future are more hopeful than we can imagine.
17 · Introduces the first source of hope: the Ancient of Days as the perfectly just judge
The first is this. We have a better judge in the present and the future than you hoped for.
18 · Reads Daniel 7:9-10, presenting the throne room scene where the Ancient of Days takes his seat as judge
Now, verse nine. As I looked, thrones placed and the ancient of days took his seat. See, imagine this. You've got these. These monsters raging on the face of the world. And then all of a sudden, the sky splits and the judge arrives, right? If this was a Western, it would be the saloon doors bang, go open. His clothing, it says, was as white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool. His throne like. See this in your mind. His throne was fiery flames and its wheels burned. Were. Its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him. A thousand thousand served him, and 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him. The court sat in judgment and the books were opened.
19 · Unpacks the symbolic meaning of each element of the Ancient of Days' description—purity, wisdom, power, mobility, omniscience—building a composite picture of the perfect judge
Now, some orientation here may be helpful. Often in Scripture that they're using these images that mean something if we've read our Old Testament. So his clothing, white as snow, means that this judge is a judge of purity. He's clothed like the priest, in pure vestments, meaning he is a just judge, a righteous judge. And the hair of his head like pure wool, meaning he's got the wisdom of age. So all the gray heads in here are like, amen. The hair of his head like pure wool. His throne was fiery flames. His throne is a fire throne. Its wheels were burning fire, meaning this, that he sits on the embodiment of power and destruction. And it is his chair. And by the way, it's wheels, meaning that it's a chariot, it's a mobile throne, meaning he can get anywhere he wants to immediately. And a stream of fire came out from him, meaning that it's like. It's one of those scenes where the hero arrives and a shockwave ripples out, right? And you're like, oh, boy, here we go. Like, that is this moment. And thousands and thousands and thousands are serving him, meaning he's a judge overall. And the books were open. Meaning he has all the receipts, he has all the records. He knows everything.
20 · Expounds Daniel 7:11-12, emphasizing the instantaneous and total victory of the judge over the blasphemous beast
Verse 11. I look then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And we're meant to understand that these are blasphemous words. These are rage and rebellion. As I looked, the beast, this. Notice this, this great destructive, roaring superpower of a beast, the beast was killed like that and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. Meaning no. No contest here. No lengthy end of the movie CGI scene that takes 10 to 15 minutes. This is instantaneous victory. As for the rest of their beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
21 · Applies the vision of the Ancient of Days to contemporary political despair by reorienting hope away from earthly judges and rulers toward the ultimate divine judge
And when you read this, when you read this, the feeling you should have as God's people should be, ah, thank goodness. Thank goodness, right? Even when we read this today, our feelings should be one of relief and joy. There is a judge out there, and the judge is pure. The judge is incorruptible. And not only is it he is he incorruptible, he is wise. And not only is he wise, he is everywhere at once. And not only is he everywhere at once, he is all powerful. And not only is he all powerful, he knows everything. Right? This is good news. Take heart, Christians. The present and the future are anchored in the knowledge that the judge of all is your judge and he is good and right. Now, look, we have just been through, I don't know if you've noticed this, an election season here in America. In case that escaped you, I got texts from random people. Somehow my number ended up in, like, another county. So I had this other county emailing me, can I count on your vote? You know, and you're like, I don't know who you are or where you are or what office you're running from. You can't escape it. We've been through an election season, and here's the reality. I think often we either as Americans despair or soar after elections, don't we? And I will say it's good to rejoice when godly rulers are elected or when evil is frustrated. And it's good to grieve when ungodly rulers are elected. But let me just say this from the perspective of Daniel, chapter seven. Our hope, brothers and sisters, in the present and in the future is not in a district judge, it is not in a state judge, it is not in the Supreme Court, and it is not even in the presidency of the United States. Our hope, brothers and sisters, is that great truth that the Lord is our judge and he will, in the end see justice done. Amen. Amen. A better judge than you hoped for.
22 · Expounds Daniel 7:13-14 and traces the Son of Man theme through Jesus' ministry, showing how Christ identified himself with this figure and accomplished the kingdom through suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension
But second, the good news gets even better. A better Savior than you hoped for. Verse 13. He says, I saw in the night vision and behold with the clouds of heaven. Now, it's important for you to know that the clouds of heaven is often a picture to describe the God's. God's movement in the Psalms, right? With the Clouds of Heaven. We expect to see God himself. But there is a surprise twist in the second half of verse 13. With the clouds of Heaven, there came one like a Son of man, meaning a human being. And he came to the Ancient of Days. So he's not God the Father on the throne. He is a son of Man, a human being. And yet he comes to the Ancient of Days. And he was presented before him. And to him, this Son of Man 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. Now this is unexpected and glorious. There is not only a judge, but there is this figure, this hero. And not just any hero. This is the hero of heroes. This somehow in human form, but also in the court of heaven. And he's given dominion and rulership. And this figure, oh man. This figure is glimpsed throughout the Old Testament. He is glimpsed here and there. That he is fully and gloriously revealed in Daniel 7, the son of Man. And from our perspective, we look back and know this figure by another name, the man Jesus Christ. Chase gives commentator on this passage, gives an overview of this glorious theme and its connection to Jesus. I think it sums it up better than I can. He says this. In Jesus's earthly ministry, his most common self designation was Son of Man. And that title drew upon Daniel 7, chapter 7. Jesus believed he was the one who would establish an everlasting kingdom and receive all authority over all nations. He says that in Matthew 4 and Matthew 28, at his ascension, he comes to the Ancient of days and sits down. Hebrews 1:3. Jesus had sealed the promised new covenant. Jeremiah 30:1, Luke 20:2. The Romans had crucified him, but he rose in victory on the third day, according to John 20. In John's apocalyptic vision of Revelation, he saw the conquering lamb go to the one who was seated on the throne and take the scroll. So if you remember, Revelation 6, same figure, the Son of Man. When Jesus spoke to his disciples about what the Son of Man would do, he taught that what surprisingly, the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. Although Daniel's vision sees the presentation of the Son of Man and the subsequent conferring of all authority to him, Jesus teaches us how this reality is accomplished. Right. The reigning of the Son of Man is accomplished through the Son of Man's suffering and Death. Jesus conquers by dying. And in his resurrection and ascension he reigns as the king with the unending kingdom.
23 · Connects the effect on Daniel's original audience—hope in a coming Savior during oppressive empires—to the Christian's present posture of waiting for Christ's return
Now all of this is meant to have a simple soul stirring effect on the people of God, which is this. You have a savior, he has come and he is coming again soon, right? That, that effect that these people were looking forward to in Daniel 7. They saw, look, man, they endured Nebuchadnezzar, they endured Belt, Belteshazzar, they endured Darius, they endure all these people, but all the while they are holding out hope that someone is coming, the Savior is coming, the king is coming, and he will establish a kingdom that will never end. We will be with him, right? That is the hope of God's people in Daniel chapter seven.
24 · Warns against the perennial temptation to seek substitute saviors in relationships, political figures, or life circumstances
And one of the reasons I think this is in our Bibles was to remind the people of God and to remind us today to accept no substitute saviors. Because in every age, too many are desperate to find a substitute savior. Too many are desperate to find the politician or that perfect relationship, or to finally have a child, or to find the right mentor or boss that can advance their career, or to find that one true friend, or to think that once they have that one person in their life, then everything will be as it should be.
25 · Uses a song lyric from The Killers to illustrate how people enter destructive relationships seeking a substitute savior
Look, just one example here. You may not think kind of zigging where you think of it as zag, but think of destructive relationships romantically for one second. I think of that line from the band the Killers about a girl in a destructive relationship with a bad guy. And the Killers write this, Some of our great American theologians, they write about this destructive guy. He doesn't look a thing like Jesus, but he talks like a gentleman, like you imagined when you were young. And you think, man, how many people end up in destructive relationships where it's like, yeah, this person isn't good, but I need a savior and they're all I've got, right? They feel, they make me feel less lonely. They make me feel like they alleviate my low self worth. They are poor substitutes for the Son of man in Daniel 7.
26 · Issues a direct evangelistic appeal, contrasting the failure of self-salvation and substitute saviors with Christ, the only Savior who will not disappoint
And yet in age after age, the world, and even, let me say, God's people at times run after substitute saviors thinking, if that person were in my life, if that person were elected, if this boss would take notice of me, if I could finally have a child, then everything would be fine. And Daniel 7 holds out. Now, friends, some of those things may be good, but this is your Savior, the Son of man who saves you body and soul, who saves you not for a minute or a year, but for eternity, who is perfectly just, who has your good in mind, who lays his very life down for you. And friend, if you're not a Christian, let me encourage you. Everything outside of Christianity in the world is one of two messages. Either save yourself, which that never works. And if you want to see the proof of it, go to Barnes and Noble in the self help section year after year because there's going to be another round of books next year because the ones this year didn't get it done. You could save yourself, which never works, or this person will save you. But the reality is this, they will never fix what's most broken in your very soul, right? Even. Even if you found a good person putting all of the weight of your expectations and hopes and dreams and life on them will just crush them and they will end up disappointing you. Friend, look to the Son of man in Daniel 7. He's the only one that will not disappoint. Point. He is the only one that is no substitute Savior. Turn to him, look to him, trust him as your Savior and Lord.
27 · Calls Christians to patient waiting for Christ's return, connecting their experience to the original audience's waiting and emphasizing hope
And for the Christian, let us encourage one another to wait for him to wait for that Savior. Right? We join the people in Babylon who waited for the appearance of their Savior. Our Savior has come. We see him so much more clearly, but we still wait for him to return. We still wait for the full establishment of his kingdom from sea to sea. Right? We still wait for all evil to be vanquished. So wait with hope, knowing that the present and the future are more hopeful than you think.
28 · Introduces the third source of hope—the kingdom—and signals it will be developed further in future sermons
And last, and very briefly, which we'll expand on the next few weeks, a better kingdom than you hope for. Not only do we get a judge who is just, do we get a savior who is perfect. But we are introduced to a kingdom, a better kingdom than we expected.
29 · Expounds Daniel 7:17-18, contrasting the temporary earthly kingdoms with the eternal kingdom the saints will inherit
Verse 17 these four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But, and I love this but the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever. And to add more emphatically, forever and ever. Look, this is meant to remind God's people that you you may be raged against in this world, you may be cut off from the kingdoms of this world, but in the end you will receive the kingdom. You will possess it not just for a day or for one century, but for all eternity.
30 · Articulates the paradoxical Christian stance: simultaneously the most realistic about the world's downward spiral and the most optimistic about the kingdom's advancing triumph
Notice that this contrasting view of the present and the future, it's like you've got these spirals going in opposite directions. You have this view of the present that look. Hey man, there's monsters out there. Don't Be surprised. It's this downward spiral of destruction and anger and rage against God. And so Christians go, yep. It's whenever somebody says this world's going down the tubes, we're like, you don't even know, man. You do not even know, Right? Or when conspiracy theorists are out there, like, they are out to get you. It's worse than you think. Christians are like, oh, it's worse than you think. We got beasts raging all over the world. You don't even know half of it, man. You're freaked out. I know 10 times more than you. You're not even half as freaked out as you should be. Right? That's. The Christian responds, it's going down. But there is also this reality that in God's kindness, the kingdom of God, the judge is on the throne, the Savior has been sent, and the kingdom of God is even now advancing. And so you have this upward spiral that more and more people are being welcomed into the kingdom of God. More and more people are singing the gospel song in Spanish, right? And in Mandarin and in the languages of India and the languages of Africa. More and more are coming into God's kingdom. His kingdom is advancing slowly and surely. So while the world in some sense is true, it's getting worse. It's always. It's also getting far better than you think. The gospel is going to corners of the globe that we never even imagined. But people even now in our very city, as we see in baptism after baptism, are coming into the kingdom of God. And it is glorious. And so Christians are to be both the most pessimistic people. They're like, yep, it's going to get worse. And the most gloriously optimistic people on Earth, they'll be like, it's going to be so good. You have no idea. Right? This is the kingdom of God.
31 · Expounds Daniel 7:26, emphasizing the total and permanent destruction of evil's dominion
Skip to verse 26, if you would. But the court shall sit in judgment. And his dominion, meaning the evil beast's dominion, shall be taken away to be consumed and destroyed to the end. That's pretty. Pretty emphatic and pretty complete. Like, in case there's any little pieces left over, we're going to set those on fire. We're going to stomp on them. We're going to freeze them, shatter them and incinerate them, right? No vestiges of this evil empire will remain.
32 · Reads Daniel 7:27, showing that all dominion will be given to the saints and all will serve God's everlasting kingdom
And verse 27, and the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given. To who? To the people of the saints of the Most High. His kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom and all dominion shall serve and obey him.
33 · Contrasts the temporary earthly kingdoms with the eternal kingdom of God, emphasizing that the saints themselves will reign with Christ forever
Notice this beautiful contrast, right? These great kingdoms of the earth that seem like they will last forever in the end fade from view. They are a succession of they. They just eat each other, right? In succession after succession, and in the end will be completely destroyed. But the little overlooked mustard seed kingdom of God will in the end triumph over them all. And here is the glorious good news. This passage emphasizes strongly not just will God triumph, but so will his people. So like, I think sometimes we as Christians, we're like, okay, yeah, that's, that's good. See the emphasis of the text. It's like, I don't want to draw too much attention to myself. Well, this text is drawing some attention to us. We got to be faithful. Here's what it means. You, Christian, will reign with Christ forever. You will inherit the world. You will rejoice in the kingdom Christ has welcomed you into as it advances and triumphs. And you will be on the front lines rejoicing as the king wins. Right? This is the reality of the Christian life. It is glorious.
34 · Transitions to the sermon's conclusion by posing the application question: what practical difference does this vision make?
And let me just end by saying this. Let me just tell you the difference that this makes. I want you to look right back at chapter seven, verse one, if you would. What difference does this text make? What difference does it make to see the beasts and to see the judge and the Savior and the kingdom? What difference does it make?
35 · Connects the timing of Daniel 7 to Daniel's later experiences in chapters 5-6, arguing that this vision informed Daniel's fearless faithfulness in the lion's den
Verse 1. In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream. Now think about this. Chapter five of Daniel was when Daniel boldly, unashamedly walks in and interprets the handwriting on the wall, that Belshazzar's reign was being abruptly ended by God. And chapter six, Belshazzar's successor, Darius, right, Alec, preached well the whole story of the opposition against Daniel and how he's thrown to lions and how he emerges victoriously saved by the Lord. Here's what I want you to notice. The truth of this vision is in the background of Daniel's mind as he goes to the lion's den.
36 · Shows how the three truths from Daniel 7 (the Judge, the Savior, the Kingdom) shaped Daniel's fearlessness in the lion's den and should shape every area of the Christian's life today
And here's why that matters, okay? We see a lifetime of Daniel's faithfulness, but these specific truths are tailor made in the sense for Christians about to be thrown to the lions. Because. Because notice what it says. Notice what this text says. One, as you're being thrown to the lions. Don't be surprised. Don't be like, what? I can't believe this. I can't believe I'm being thrown to lions. I can't believe the world doesn't like Me, I can't believe these worldly kingdoms are acting in worldly ways. Nope. Daniel's like, yep, I expected this, right? Saw the beast, saw the whole thing. They're raging. The world's crazy. Yep, exactly right. But then notice he is utterly unafraid because of these three truths. First, God, not Darius, is his ultimate judge, right? The kingdom of Babylon, in its view of Daniel, is not what he's concerned about. He has an image of the judge on the throne, of fire, ruling and reigning. And the decisions Daniel makes are in view of that, not in view of the people around him. You see how that. That changes the way you live your life. All of a sudden, you start to not be afraid of some things you might be. And all of a sudden, you start to worry about things that you might not be worried about, like, does this honor God? Becomes the foremost question in your mind. Second, the Savior Daniel knows, like his compatriots, right? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Even if he perishes, the Son of Man is still coming and still taking dominion, and he's going to be part of his kingdom, right? That is an ironclad truth in Daniel's mind, and he knows it as he goes to the lions, because he's seen the Son of Man in all of his glory. And then third, Daniel knows that the kingdom of the Medo, Persian Empire, just like the kingdom of Babylon, will fall, will fade. It'll get eaten by another empire that'll get eaten by another empire that'll get eaten by another empire. But Daniel's citizenship is in the one empire that will not fade and that will not wilt and that will never be conquered. So as he goes the lions, he's utterly secure. Do you see the effect of this? Do you see the way that this changes? Look. Let me just say this. Look, that changes the way you spend your time, brothers and sisters, and the way we spend our money and the way we think about family and relationships and careers and where we live and what we do and what we're afraid of and what we're concerned about, right? All of that changes in the equation when you see the judge, the Savior, and the eternal kingdom.
37 · Introduces a closing quotation from Ian Duguid with personal testimony about the author
All right, well, let me. Let me end with this one last quote from Ian Do Good, because he was my favorite Old Testament professor. I got to give the guy props. Okay?
38 · Closes with a doxological quotation from Ian Duguid summarizing the sermon's encouragement: nothing can separate believers from God's love, and the kingdom is ours by grace alone
He says this, the result of Jesus sacrifice, though, that whatever now faces me in this life, whether death or life, angels or monsters, dictators or demons, nothing in all creation can separate me from the love of God in Jesus Christ. If God is my judge and the Son of Man is my Savior, then let the world do its worst. Ultimately, the the world has no power to hurt me. And I know that after the world has done its worst, God will welcome me into his very best. The Lord has a glorious inheritance stored up for me, along with all of the saints. A kingdom that is mine by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. There is a day coming when the beasts will all be gone and only the saints will remain. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus, would you stand? Let's pray together.