Sermon Central
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We Know How It Ends Series
Contributed by Ed Taylor on Oct 13, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: We see the power, prestige, and the permanence of this world while God knows it’s only temporary and how it ends.
1. In so many ways, we see things differently than God does.
a. We see the sickness, God sees the healing.
b. We see the troubles, God sees the triumph.
c. We so easily see the tribulation, while God sees the training.
d. Man sees the power, the prestige, the permanence of this world while God knows it’s only temporary…
e. And it’s really not that powerful or prestigious!
REALLY JESUS SAID IT BEST. It’s the ultimate observation:
Matthew 16.24-26 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
LIFE, in the truest sense of the word, is only found in Jesus Christ.
• SO IT MAKE SENSE THEN to read of God’s words through the Prophet Isaiah in CH55:8-9 – Let’s look there.
NOTE: His ways, His thoughts… so different from ours.
• So it makes sense to see Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel have completely different dreams describing the same thing.
• Different Dreams? Same Thing? Yes.
• In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of the coming empires beginning with his…
• The GREAT IMAGE the King saw was actually a peek into future history as the coming world kingdoms would emerge & fall.
• All the way into the end times.
o Gold Head – Representing Babylon.
o Chest & Arms of Silver – Medes/Persians
o Belly & Thighs of Bronze – Grecian Empire
o Legs of Iron – Roman Empire
o Feet mixed with iron & clay – A revived Roman Empire
That was MAN’S PERSPECTIVE of world history…
• The gov’ts of man were stately, noble, powerful, valuable.
• BUT CH7 Daniel’s dream isn’t of an image, but of wild, beasts.
• God is saying, “Here is my perspective on things. The gov’t of man is not gold or silver, but beastly and wild!”
One More THING before we jump in this morning.
• We’re entering a new section of the book.
• Chapters 1-6, the first part, deal with the PERSONAL LIFE of Daniel and are narrative.
• Chapters 7-12, the second half, deal with world history and are PROPHETIC in nature.
• Most of it was still yet future for Daniel, but as we look back much of it has been fulfilled!
• And from this chapter through the end, we have some of the most amazing prophetic visions in the Bible.
• Some have even called it a ‘little Revelation’.
• In fact, our study through Revelation will help us a lot!
I. (7:1-14) A WILD DREAM!
1. (1) The Facts.
a. Daniel says in v1, that he wrote down his wild dream.
b. He’s telling the truth, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
c. The dream actually predates some of what we’ve already studied.
d. CH7 can actually fit between CH 5 & CH 6.
e. And right away we see the comparison with CH2.
Both have 4 symbols of kingdoms followed by the Messiah’s Kingdom.
Both show a duality in the 2nd Kingdom.
Both show a 10-fold division of the last kingdom.
And the same interpretation is found for the 10 horns and the Messiah’s Kingdom that will destroy the previous kingdoms.
• But there is a DIFFERENCE. Here we are introduced to a “LITTLE HORN” in v8, who is a key person of the Last Kingdom.
• He’s known as the MAN OF SIN, the SON OF PERDITION, the Coming PRINCE, and most commonly, the ANTICHRIST.
2. (2-14) Four Beasts Coming up.
a. We know from Revelation 17:1 & 15, that the GREAT SEA represents the nations of the world.
b. And out of these nations will arise these 4 beasts.
#1 – v4: A LION w/ EAGLE’S WINGS: BABYLON.
• (Head of Gold)
• This is interesting because in archaeological discoveries, the national symbol of Babylon was a winged lion!
• It says here that her wings were plucked off and it was lifted up from the earth.
• It sounds a lot like what happened to Nebuchadnezzar.
APP: You see, the lesson he learned, and Belshazzar after him, was that “God is able to bring down those who are proud.”
• It’s not just that is He able, He will.
• If we won’t walk in humility, then we will creep in humiliation!
• Just as Nebuchadnezzar became like an animal for 7 years!
#2 – v5: A BEAR w/ 3 RIBS IN MOUTH: MEDO/PERSIAN
• (Chest & Arms of Silver)
