A Future Kingdom - pt.3
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Intro:
We have been making our way through Daniel 7 and looking at the details of Daniel’s night visions… We talked about the description of the four beasts that Daniel saw coming out of the great sea and we also talked about how Daniel saw The Ancient of Days give the final, everlasting Kingdom, to His Son, Jesus Christ.
Over the course of looking at these details we were able to get some interpretation to go along with it, but now, in these final verses of Daniel 7, we will get an Angelic Interpretation of the events that Daniel was seeing in his night visions.
A Future Kingdom - pt.3
A Future Kingdom - pt.3
Angelic Interpretation…
Lets look at these verses together… (Read vv. 15-28)
Meat:
The first thing that I want you to notice about this Angelic interpretation is that it was…
1. Given at Daniel’s Request
1. Given at Daniel’s Request
v.15 says “I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.”
Daniel was a bit in the dark concerning what these visions meant… for us, we can look back at history and see most of the events that Daniel is prophesying… but for Daniel, it is all in the future.
For the future events that haven’t happened yet for us… we can look at the Book of Revelation and get a better understanding of what Daniel is talking about… However, Daniel didn’t have that option… Revelation wasn’t written for another 7-800 years after Daniel passes away.
v.15 says that he was grieved and troubled. I think he realized that bad things were going to happen (and it caused him grief), but he didn’t know exactly what bad things were going to happen (and that is what troubled him)…
From interpreting N’s dream back in chapter 2, Daniel knew that there would be other powers taking over the kingdoms of the world and he looked forward to the everlasting kingdom that was represented by the stone that filled the whole earth...
But there was something different about the dream that he is having… a vile beast… and it is this beast that, I believe, really prompted his question…
v.16 “ I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things:”
Now this is important to note… When Daniel did not understand what God was trying to tell him… he didn’t go to the other “wise men” in the land… he didn’t go to these diviners, soothsayers, psychics, or anyone of that nature… …
He asked another one of God’s servants… someone who had a close relationship with God, that was more knowledgeable in this area than he was… Someone who would give him a trustworthy interpretation of God’s word and not their own made up prediction or philosophy.
If your house is on fire, you are probably going to call the fire department… why… because they have the equipment and the knowledge of how to effectively fight this fire.
You have car trouble, you call a mechanic… you have animal trouble you call the vet… you have health problems you call the doctor…
You want to know how the world came into existence… I wouldn’t recommend watching the science channel… why… because scientist didn’t create the world… If you want to know how the world came into existence, then consult the one who created it!…
Genesis 1:1 “1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
So often when we want to know more about what the Bible says, we will go to sources that don’t know or flat out deny the truths of Scripture and just because they have several letters of the alphabet after their name, we just blindly believe that they must know what they are talking about.
John tells us in 1 John 4:1 “1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
Check the sources of your information… because Satan is the master of deception and if you are not careful, you will find yourself believing that when the Nation of Israel was stuck in the desert for 40 years, they were fed by ancient Aliens that had a machine that turned the moisture of air into manna… …
Now, we may laugh and smirk about that, but there is a show that you can find on the History Channel, that claims that very idea… and people take it for gospel truth, because it is a bunch of “scientist” that have given this information. And it is literally broadcast from “The History Channel”
Daniel knew it was ok to ask questions when he didn’t understand something, but he also made sure that he went to the proper source that would answer his question in a way that God would approve of.
Secondly, This Angelic interpretation…
2. Reveals the Five Kingdoms
2. Reveals the Five Kingdoms
v.17 “‘Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth.”
Getting Straight to the point… The Angel states that the four beasts represented the corrupt and violent kingdoms of the world.
Basically telling Daniel that as time goes on… nations and empires would succeed one another. They would triumph over each other, bringing about conflicts and wars that spread death, sorrow, pain, and suffering all across the globe.
We have talked about these empires in the previous messages of this chapter…
But the Angel doesn’t stop there… Just like we looked at last time when we went over vv. 13-14… Here in v. 18 the Angel says…
“ 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’”
The Hebrew words “Possess the kingdom” refer to a time when Christ’s Kingdom will be established on earth. And we, as his saints and true believers will inherit that kingdom. This is the 5th kingdom and it will last forever and the saints will rule forever.
Given this interpretation, Daniel was confident that the people of Israel had a promising future and a magnificent hope. He knew that eventually, they would welcome their Messiah, and their devotion to Him would endure for all eternity.
I am certain that this explanation would’ve eased, a little bit of, Daniel’s troubled mind. I am sure that he found peace in knowing that once the saints of the Most High took over, there would be a future Kingdom that would never end. But he was still troubled about the rest of the details… … Especially the details of this 4th beast…
This Angelic Interpretation…
3. Gives Details About the 4th Beast
3. Gives Details About the 4th Beast
We are going to skip around in our passage a little bit here… hopefully you can track with me…
vv.19-20a “Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet;
20 and the ten horns that were on its head...”
Remember the 4th beast, the monster that Daniel saw??? He realized that there must be something unique about this beast, as it was different from all the rest.
Daniel wanted to know about the ferocity and features of this beast, especially about the ten horns that were protruding from this beast body.
The Angel wastes no time and goes right into the details…
vv.23-24a Daniel 7:23–24 “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be A fourth kingdom on earth, Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, And shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces.
24 The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom… ”
The fourth beast represented the fourth Kingdom on Earth and we pointed out in verse 7 that this kingdom was the Roman empire… Which, nobody really ever replaced the Roman empire, it just sort of fizzled away.
And so, what Daniel is seeing with these ten horns and what the Angel is describing, is…
3.1 A Revived Roman Empire
3.1 A Revived Roman Empire
The ten horns represented a coalition of ten rulers. These 10 rulers arise from and make up the Revived Roman Empire.
And the reason that it needs to be a revived Roman Empire, is because the Angel said that it “shall devour the whole earth”
By looking at historical records, We know that the initial Roman Empire never conquered the entire earth… and so there is another phase of this empire that will be revived and this time it will affect the entire world…
I enjoy having conversations with my Dad… and when there is something that seems a bit coincidental, or something that seems insignificant but could potentially turn into something very significant… he always says something along the lines of “that’s just interesting”… not that he is taking whatever information he shares for fact, but just the possibility that it could have much more significance than what the surface of the situation may show he’ll say “now I just find that interesting”…
So with that in mind.... Here is something that I find… interesting…
Today we have what is known as the EU (European Union), which is a supranational political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe.…
But it wasn’t always called the European Union… and this is where it gets… … interesting...
In 1957, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany signed a treaty that created the European Economic Community (EEC)…
Over the course the past 7 decades, this European Economic Community has been joined together with other European programs and they all form, what is now called, the European Union.
The original treaty that was signed, to form the European Economic Community, back in 1957, was called “The Treaty of Rome”… … and it has been said that one of the key men in this deal, made a statement that supposedly was published in the the L.A. Times (obviously not online back then)… and He said this, “In the European Economic Community, the world is seeing the revival of the old Roman Empire.”
Again, just something… interesting … to think about… even from decades ago…
Whenever the time comes for this revived Roman Empire to show itself to the world, it will consist of 10 nations, standing side by side, ruling the world.
This is what the Angel revealed to Daniel…
Moving on… This Angelic Interpretation…
4. Identifies The Little Horn
4. Identifies The Little Horn
Daniel inquired about the beast and the ten horns, and he also specifically asks about this unique little horn…
vv. 20b - 22 “the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.
21 “I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them,
22 until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.”
Daniel wanted to know all about this little horn especially what or who it represented…
And the Angel gives him the answer…
vv. 24-25 “The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, And shall subdue three kings.
25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time.”
Notice we are now talking about a person…
4.1 It is a Person
4.1 It is a Person
“He shall be different… He shall speak pompous words… the saints shall be given into his hand”
Daniel sees the characteristics of this person as he looks at the horn…
He has eyes… He will look like a normal human leader. He will be intelligent, charismatic and persuasive.
He has a mouth… and will talk about peace, prosperity and well being… which, ironically is what the health, wealth and wisdom people preach.
He will also be arrogant… and speak pompous words against the most high… The Apostle Paul basically said the same thing in…
2 Thessalonians 2:4 he will be one “ who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”
This person will start out small, but will eventually become a vile dictator… who rules over everyone else…
In verse 8, Daniel describes him as a “little horn” but at the end of v. 20 Daniel says “… whose appearance was greater than his fellows.”
First he he will take charge of 3 nations and then move on to rule the world.
He wages war against Israel and makes it his mission to rid the world of every Jewish person… This will be an absolute horrendous time…
The prophet Zechariah says this…
Zechariah 13:8–9 “ And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the Lord, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it:
9 I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ””
This person is known by many names…
Isaiah 14:25 he is called the Assyrian
Daniel 9:26 he is called the prince that shall come
2 Thessalonians 2:3 he is called the man of sin
Daniel 8:23 he is called a king of fierce countenance
Daniel 11:21 he is called a vile person
Daniel 11:36 he is called the wilful king
2 Thessalonians 2:8 he is called that Wicked (or lawless one)
Revelation 13:1 he is called a beast
But we best know him by John’s description…
18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
This little horn, this person…
4.2 He is the Anti-Christ
4.2 He is the Anti-Christ
The Greek prefix “anti” can mean “instead of” and “against” So, the final world ruler will be both a counterfeit Christ and an enemy who is against Christ.
The Angel tells Daniel what this Anti-Christ will do…
v.25 “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time.”
He will try to change the calendar and some of the laws of the nation. He will attempt to institute a new legal system to govern the world....
And God’s people will given into “his hand For a time and times and half a time.”
So what does that mean?… … The plural word times can mean dual, so this literally reads, a time, two times and a half a time. A time represents one year indicating that this last period of the Anti-Christ’s rule will be three and a half years.
This lines up perfectly with what John records in…
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.
3 years is 36 months, plus another half a year (6 months)…
36 + 6 = 42 months.
Those 42 months will be so horrific that Jesus says in…
22 “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
Finally this morning… This Angelic Interpretation…
5. Reveals the Sovereignty of God
5. Reveals the Sovereignty of God
God’s sovereignty is seen throughout this entire book and even as the Angel is giving Daniel a run down on how the horrible the world will be in the last days, we also get the reminder that God was then, is now and will be in the future, in control of it all…
Yes, the Anti-Christ will wage war against God and God’s people… but in the end… v.26…
Daniel 7:26–27 “26 ‘...the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his dominion, To consume and destroy it forever.
27 Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’”
This is the future kingdom that I am looking forward to… An age proclaimed by the prophets when men will beat their swords into ploughshares, the dessert will blossom as the rose, when the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, peace and prosperity will be the norm, man will have just begun his life at a hundred, the world will be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters now cover the sea, and Jesus will reign from Jerusalem.
This was a lot of information to process, not to mention the sights that Daniel must have saw as he had this vision filled dream.
v.28 “This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I kept the matter in my heart.””
The angel could rejoice at the outcome but Daniel realized that he and his people were going to be facing the stormy and violent centuries ahead. I believe Daniel was troubled because of the tribulation that lay ahead for his people.
Closing:
I think I can relate to Daniel’s feelings… As we see the rapid downward spiral that this world is involved in, we get excited knowing that the return of our Lord is near… but at the same time I know that when that day comes, it will be a day of judgement for those who have never accepted His free gift of Salvation.
We all have family members and friends that have yet to put their faith in Christ. And it is when I think about them and the punishment that they will face apart from Christ… that is when I can relate to Daniel as he says “my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed”
Folks, James tells us that…
“You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” James 4:14
We are not guaranteed tomorrow… and if you have never put your faith in Christ, if you have never repented of your sins… then you are headed right into the terrible time that Daniel saw.
The most important decision you’ll ever make, is whether or not you will follow Christ and honor Him with your life.
And the time to make that decision is now, because “You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”
Prayer:
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