The year 2020 continues to be a year like no other we have experienced.
We are hurdling toward election day here in the U.S., it is now only 16 days away. And it’s an election that is likely to divide our country in the midst of a pandemic and social unrest like no other since the Civil War.
Both Presidential candidates have said the other is going to attempt to steal the election. Many are casting doubts on the ability of the U.S. to hold a fair election because in the Pandemic mail-in voting is being permitted. The President has refused to commit to a peaceful transition of power if he loses and appears to be preparing to have the election settled in the Supreme Court. And no matter who wins or who loses, emotions are running so high, and so much is at stake, it is almost certain that a significant portion of the losers may be unwilling to accept the results.
In the midst of a chaos that was almost unimaginable a few years ago, anxiety is sweeping the nation. People are preparing for the worst, as though the social unrest in the wake of the George Floyd killing were only the beginning. The evidence of that is the sudden spike in gun sales. An L.A. Times article by Jennifer Carlson says that gun-sellers who were interviewed about this spike in gun sales “talked of a civil are in the event of a Trump win or a Biden victory, of generalized unrest leading up to and after the vote. Few doubted that this election would turn out to be contested, and many acknowledged—some reluctantly, some enthusiastically—that the clock was running out on chances for peaceful resolutions to differences.
So come November, next month, what on earth is going to happen? What will happen to our nation? More than that, what will happen to each and every one of us?
As we grapple with these questions, anxieties and uncertainties, we come upon the single chapter in all of the Bible that addresses the big picture of human history with all its tumult and turmoil and addresses it squarely.
And it tells us this, don’t worry, though nations will be in tumult and turmoil, God’s People, and God’s Man, Jesus will prevail.
It’s Daniel 7, a chapter of the Old Testament that was a favorite of many Hebrew Scribes, who considered it the pinnacle of all the Scriptures.
Now as we come to Daniel 7, we encounter a second and distinct segment of the Book of Daniel. The first six chapters were historical narrative—stories of the great interventions by Daniel’s God in his life in the Kingdom of Babylon. The events in chapters 1-6 are told to us in chronological order. However, both the chronological order and the subject changes in Daniel 7. Beginning with Daniel 7, we have the description Daniel’s prophetic dreams and visions. There are four of Daniel’s dreams and visions recounted. They come in chronological order as well, but only within themselves. The first of these, in Daniel 7, actually comes 12-15 years before the events recounted in Daniel 6 about Daniel in the lion’s den. Belshazzar, who was killed in Daniel 5, is in his first year as King of Babylon, and it’s about 551 to 555 B.C. depending on whom you read.
Daniel tells us in verse one he saw a dream and visions—apparently one and the same--one night as he lay on his bed. And the first thing he tells us of this dream reflects an important truth for all of us during these chaotic and fearful times. God’s in charge though the world’s in turmoil. Know this, God is in charge, though the world is in turmoil.
Verse 2 tells us that. What he saw was that the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. The great sea, as we compare this verse with the angel’s interpretation in verse 17, represent the nations of the earth from which four kings arise. The nations are in an uproar here, even as the sea is turbulent and tumultuous, a comparison that we find other places in the Old Testament Scriptures, such as Isaiah 17:12-13.
Of course what is acting upon the tumultuous sea of men are the four winds of heaven. Heaven, of course, in Scripture, is well-known to be the dwelling place of God. The winds of heaven, possibly angels, are certainly subject to the control of Heaven. And so what’s happening upon earth among the nations who are in turmoil is under the control of and is being affected by the four winds of heaven. In other words, God is ultimately in charge despite the obvious lack of peace among the nations of men upon the earth.
Feeling anxious, remember this. God is still in charge. He is on His throne. Nothing has escaped His notice. He’s working all things out for His glory and our good, even though there may be all kinds of turmoil, even wars on the earth. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make your requests of god and the peace of God which surpasses understanding will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6 applies especially in these times. God’s working all things for our good, as Romans 8:28 tells us.
The next section from verses 3-8 provides for us what was at the time a prophetic outline for the major events of human history, which have largely been fulfilled at this time. The major question for the Jewish saint at this time might have been about the Kingdom of God and when and how it could come upon the earth, now that Israel and Judah had been defeated and exiled. This is God’s answer. There would be an interregnum, a temporary period of human history, when Gentile kingdoms would rule the earth before the Kingdom of God would come. And to be precise, Daniel’s dream tells us that human history has been and will be dominated by four brutal kingdoms of men before the Kingdom would come. This is a panoramic view of human history before and until Christ returns and sets up His kingdom. It is also in part a repetition of what was revealed in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the dazzling statue in Daniel 2. Even as the statue had four great divisions, characterized by different kinds of metal, from gold, to silver, to bronze, and then iron and clay, so now there are four great beasts arising from the sea which represents the nations of the earth in turmoil.
As we’ve read previously from verse 3-8 these four beasts consist, chronologically of a lion with two wings, a bear, a leopard with four wings and four heads and then a final great and terrifying monster with iron teeth that tramples and crushes the whole earth.
As the angel in verse 17 interprets the dream for Daniel, these four beasts that emerge from the turbulent sea are four kings and their kingdoms that will arise from the earth.
Now what’s notable about these kings and their kingdoms are the kinds of beasts or animals which God uses to symbolize them. You’ve got to ask yourself this question? Why did God use these kinds of animals to symbolize these kings and kingdoms? Why didn’t He characterize them by the use of sheep, or cows, or kittens or puppies? It’s because these kinds of peaceful and peaceable animals don’t demonstrate the character of these kingdoms. Every single animal used here to represent these kings and kingdoms are vicious, even savage predators who are known to aggressively seek out their prey and destroy and devour them. This is God’s perspective regarding the Kingdoms of Men—they are predatory, self-centered, destructive, brutal and cruel—like un-thinking beasts. They aggressively destroy their rivals for their own benefit. And of course, that is the history of human civilization—wars and rumors of wars. Why any prominent nation never experiences peace is no mystery? It’s not because human nature encourages or allows it. It is only by force of arms, by huge military arsenals and defenses that peace is maintained. Do you think for one moment the United States of America could dismantle its military and its arsenal without it being over-run, raided, and ransacked by its enemies? Not on your life! Such is the nature of covetous and murderous mankind. You’ve got what I want, I’m going to come and get it at the expense of your life, if there isn’t a significant military or police deterrent.
And so no wonder these kingdoms are characterized as savage predatory beasts. For that’s how their kingdoms were gained.
This vision, seen in 550-555 B.C. has largely been fulfilled. The first beast to emerge from the sea is a lion with wings. The Babylonian Empire and even the remains of Babylon to this day demonstrate that Babylon itself characterized itself as a lion with the wings of an eagle. You see those hieroglyphs everywhere in archeological photos of Babylon. And of course, Daniel’s description of the king and the kingdom in verse 4 speak unmistakably of Nebuchadnezzar himself and the experiences Daniel had with him: “The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, a human mind also was given to it.” A lion whose wings were plucked clearly speaks of the humbling of Nebuchadnezzar when he spent seven years with the mind of a beast eating grass. Then when he began to walk on two feet and was given the mind of man speaks of his conversion, and that he actually began to act like a human, with mercy and peace for all men, rather than as a beast—the experience related already by Daniel in Daniel 4.
Of course, Nebuchadnezzar by this time had been dead for 10 years. His kingdom deteriorated under his successors and as Daniel 5 would later detail, it was given over to the Kingdom of the Medes and Persians. Verse 5: “And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth, and thus they said to it, “Arise, devour much meat.” The bear was a good representation of the Kingdom of the Medes and Persians. The Medes and the Persians had huge and ponderous armies consisting of hundreds of thousands of men—great power. They conquered three great kingdoms: Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt which the three ribs in the bear’s teeth might represent. And the instructions that are given to it to rise and devour much meat reflect the fact that the Medes and Persians kept on conquering, and eventually ruled a vast empire that stretched from the Aegean Sea in Europe to the Indus River in India. The bear raised up on one side perhaps indicates that at one time or another in the course of the Kingdom’s history the Medes, or alternately the Persians, dominated, which was true historically, and also the two-sided nature of the Kingdom had been reflected in the two arms of the great statute which Nebuchadnezzar had seen in Daniel 2. So there’s a remarkable correlation between the two dreams and the histories that played out of these kingdoms. The Medes and the Persians ruled for over two centuries and then in 334 B.C. Alexander the Great of Greece arose.
It’s thought he was represented by the beast that looked like a leopard in verse 6, that had four wings and four heads. “After this, I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. Notice the phrase, “dominion was given to it”—an indication that its authority was from God.
The fact that it was a leopard indicate that its strikes were quick, silent and unexpected. The fact that it had four wings like a bird, indicated that Alexander’s kingdom moved fast in conquering. Incredibly, Alexander’s 35,000-man army conquered the Medes and Persians in a mere four years between 334 and 330 B.C. The four heads of the leopard represented the four generals who inherited Alexander’s kingdom when he died at the age of 33.
And then the fourth beast is apparently the kingdom of Rome, which conquered the Greek kingdom in 63 B.C. It is clearly the most terrifying of all and possesses iron teeth by which it devours and tramples its prey. Now this prophecy beginning in verse seven is only partially fulfilled. The Roman Empire fell in 476 B.C. There never were 10 horns and an eleventh as we‘re told it would have in verse 11, and which the angel interprets as 10 kings and an 11th. This is a part of the prophecy which to date remains unfulfilled. It apparently awaits a revival of the Roman Empire, likely consisting, of course, of the same European peoples who once populated it, but this time with 10 kings, corresponding to the 10 toes of the kingdom at the bottom of the statue in Daniel 2, which were characterized by iron mixed with clay. And the 11th horn, which uproots three horns before it, is our first extensive introduction to the Antichrist which we find in all of Scripture. This is evidently a revived Roman Empire that will consist of 10 kings and an 11th—the Antichrist, just before the Second Coming.
This is the panorama of a brutal human history consisting of barbaric kingdoms of men that fell far short of God’s ideal for the human race.
God will bring all this tumult and wickedness to an end on Judgment Day. And that’s exactly what verses 9-14 tell us. The angel whom Daniel consults agrees with this assessment for in verse 18 he tells Daniel, “But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.”
And here’s how it will happen in verse 9-14. This time we have a view of what’s going on in heaven. Again Daniel tells us he kept looking and this time he saw thrones being set up, and the Ancient of Days, clearly a reference to God the Father in this context, took his seat on one of these thrones. This is a rare occasion, perhaps the only one, when God the Father is pictured as a man. It’s clearly God the Father, for the picture matches that of both Isaiah’s and Ezekiel’s encounters with God in visions as well as that of the Apostle John in Revelation. The throne is surrounded by flames of fire, a sign of God’s presence, and thousands upon thousands are attending Him, and the court sat, and books were opened, clearly books of the deeds of the nations by which they will be judged.
And all this happens as that little horn, the 11th horn of the beast is speaking boastful words—defying and defaming God no doubt as Belshazzar had done--something you don’t want to do unless you want judgment. And even as this 11th horn, the Antichrist, is in the midst of his arrogant words, judgment is delivered. The Beast, as the 11th horn is now called in verse 11, was slain, and more than that, its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. A remarkable concordance with Revelation 19:10, which tells us that the Beast of Revelation, the Antichrist, is slain by Christ at His return, and he and his false prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire.
And then were told an interesting tidbit here. Remnants of the other kingdoms still exist at this time. Verse 12: “As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.” I believe this is a reference to the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ, the thousand-year period of His reign upon this earth after his return when according to Zechariah 14, He will rule the nations with a rod of iron. In other words, whatever dominion these former kingdoms still had, whatever authority was there before Christ’s coming, will be taken away. They will be subject to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords even though they and other nations will continue to exist during that thousand-year period.
So be encouraged. The wicked will not get away with their wickedness, not even the most wicked. The Beast, the Antichrist, will be judged. And what will happen in their place. Verses 13-14 is the pinnacle of the chapter of this pinnacle of Biblical prophecy. One like a Son of man will come with the clouds of heaven. Verse 13: “I kept looking in the night visions and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of Man was coming, and he came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him, His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.” Here we have a repetition of a theme that both King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and King Darius the Mede eventually came to admit: God’s kingdom would be an everlasting kingdom which will not pass away or be destroyed, but now there’s an added twist, it will be given to the Son of Man, an obvious reference to the Messiah, who will come with the clouds of heaven.
Now where else do we see this kind of language? What was Jesus’ favorite designation for Himself? He repeatedly called Himself “The Son of Man”—God in human form is what we now know He meant, fully God and fully man. He called himself the Son of Man 31 times in the Gospel of Matthew alone. And the fullest expression of this kind of language is found both in Matthew 24:30 and Matthew 26:64, the latter being his reply to the High Priest who asked Him at his trial if he was the Son of God when Jesus replied in the affirmative, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.”
So, you’re a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Doesn’t matter who wins in the election or what kind of chaos follows. You’ve got it made. The Kingdom is given to Your Lord and Savior and the conclusion of the angel in verse 18 “But the saints of the Most High receive the Kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.”
Here’s where verses like “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” begin to make sense. You invest in the Kingdom, because only the Kingdom of God will prevail. Because it prevails, and you serve the Lord, you will live to receive the spoils of the Kingdom, and you serve him sacrificially, and you will rule and reign in the Kingdom with Him.
Ready to serve sacrificially? We have some openings, especially on the set-up team for this next week, as Brian will be gone, and it all falls on elder Dave and Jackson Booth.
As a follower of Jesus, in all these wars and rumors of wars, in all the tumult and turbulence of the nations and even in this time in this country, you win no matter what happens.
Now as we read, Daniel, in verse 15, tells us he’s distressed and alarmed by these visions, which he clearly does not understand. In the vision, he’s bold enough to inquire of one of those standing by, clearly an angel, and the angel is only too willing to oblige. We’ve already read his conclusion to the matter, something we dare not forget, though the brutal kingdoms of men will come and go, the Kingdom of God and Christ will be inherited by His saints forever and ever. However, Daniel is fascinated about this fourth beast, who was different from all the others. So as we read in verse 19, he inquires about it and the little 11th horn who is making great boasts.
Even while he’s speaking, more of the vision is playing out before him. Verse 21: “I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. Then the angel speaks, telling Daniel in verse 23 about the fourth beast and the little horn. It will be different in this respect, in that it will devour the whole earth and crush it, and the 11th horn will subdue three of the 10 kings before himself, and then He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints. He will also make alterations in times and in the Law, and they will be given into his hand for a time, times and half-a-time.
In other words there will be a 3½ year period, known as the Great Tribulation as Jesus described in Matthew 24, also reflected as such in the book of Revelation, during which believers, as well as the Jewish people will suffer great persecution. Here are some important identifiers with regard to the Antichrist. He will subdue three kings before Himself. He will come from the kingdom with the 10 kings, the revived Roman Empire. He will come after those 10 Kings, and will be contemporary with them, and will ultimately lead the Roman Empire in crushing the entire earth. He will persecute the saints. He will attempt to alter times and the law, and he will suspend Jewish sacrifices in a rebuilt Jewish temple and will even take his seat in the temple claiming to be God as II Thessalonians 2 reveals. These are things to remember before we begin identifying someone as the Antichrist based on a whole lot of other things. These are specifics that God has given us so that we may know the end of his power is about to come and the Coming of the Lord Jesus is near.
So what do we learn that will help us through these times? Even if our nation and our lives are turned upside down, God is still in charge. He will ultimately intervene in man’s violent history and judge the nations. And because of that, in the end, God wins!
So don’t fret, don’t worry. Though the nation and nations will be in tumult and turmoil, God’s People and God’s Man, Jesus will prevail!
Even so come Lord Jesus!
