Introduction

Friends, if ever there was a chapter for days like these, it’s Daniel 7. When headlines howl and hearts are heavy, when the future feels foggy and the ground beneath your feet won’t stop trembling, God whispers through this ancient text, "I still reign." Daniel’s night was full of beasts and winds and warnings, but it was also full of thrones and books and a King who cannot be toppled. That’s good news for weary souls. That’s good news for Monday mornings and midnight worries.

Daniel wasn’t writing from a comfy sofa with calm skies. He was a faithful man in a foreign land, carrying hope in a hostile world. He knew what it felt like to be outnumbered and overlooked. He knew what it felt like to stand at the mouth of the lion’s den and still say, "My God is able." So when we open this chapter, we’re stepping into a night vision that lights the way for anxious hearts. Here’s the gist: empires rise and empires fall, but the Ancient of Days does not flinch. Thrones wobble, but His throne blazes. Voices boast, but His verdict stands. And in the end, Christ receives a kingdom that will never, ever, ever fade—and His people stand with Him.

You may be asking, "But what about the beasts in my world? The bills, the diagnosis, the quiet ache no one sees?" Friend, the God of Daniel sees you. He hears you. He stands over history and near to the humble. He has not misplaced you. He has not forgotten His promises. As John Wesley famously said, "The best of all is, God is with us." (John Wesley) If that line could steady a dying saint, it can steady living ones too.

Let your heart listen for three steady notes in this symphony: kingdoms will bluster and break; the Ancient of Days will judge with holy fire and perfect wisdom; and the Son of Man—our Jesus—will receive a kingdom and share it with His saints. That’s not wishful thinking; that’s the bedrock of hope. So take a deep breath. Let the wind of God’s Word fill your sails. Even if the sea looks stormy, His hand is steady on the helm.

Before we read, ask yourself: What fear keeps speaking loudest in my mind? What “little horn” is talking big in my life? Today, set that fear in the light of God’s face. Let His foreverness—His faithfulness—outshout the bullies of the moment. And as we hear this Scripture, listen for the kindness of a King who doesn’t just rule the cosmos; He holds your hand.

Scripture Reading: Daniel 7:1-28 (KJV)

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. 2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. 4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. 5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. 6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. 9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. 10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. 11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. 12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. 13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. 15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. 16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. 17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. 19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; 20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. 21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. 23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. 24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. 26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. 27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. 28 Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.

Opening Prayer: Ancient of Days, we come with trembling hands and thirsty hearts. Still our worries. Set our eyes on Your throne. Give us clarity to see Your truth, courage to stand in Your strength, comfort to rest in Your care, and conviction to live as Your saints. Let the voice of the Son of Man be louder than every boast of the world. Lift our heads, steady our steps, and seal our hope. Reign over our thoughts as You reign over all things. In the strong and saving name of Jesus, Amen.

Beasts Rise and Empires Fall

The night scene opens with the sea stirred by the four winds. Water churns. Waves rise and fall. Out of that surge come strange shapes. They are huge. They are wild. They carry the stamp of power that breaks things. The picture is not calm. It feels like the world we know when nations shake and leaders roar and people feel small.

These figures do not come from quiet fields or peaceful streets. They come from deep waters. They come from turmoil. That tells us something. Human power often grows in storms. It feeds on fear. It swells when folks are tired and afraid. Scripture does not hide this. It lets us see the teeth. It lets us hear the growls. It lets us feel why our hearts pound.

Yet the vision gives more than noise and motion. Each creature is on a clock. Each one is described with care, then it passes from the center of the stage. The world can feel like a parade of monsters. The text shows a pattern. None keep the spotlight forever. Strength has a shelf life. Pride has a ceiling. History has a ceiling too, and it is not made of iron or brass. There is a Throne above the surf.

The first shape looks like a lion with eagle wings. It is power multiplied by speed. It owns the field. Then the wings are plucked. It is lifted to stand like a man. A heart like a man is given to it. That line is strange and good. A proud thing is humbled. A beast learns to stand and think. Even at the height of might, the hand above can change a ruler’s gait and soul.

The second shape is like a bear. It leans to one side. It clamps three ribs in its teeth. A voice gives it a task. “Arise, devour much flesh.” This is the hunger of empire. Heavy. Lopsided. Always chewing. Orders steer it. Appetite drives it. The picture stings. We know what happens when leaders chase land and glory. People pay. Bones show. Yet the bear is told what to do. It is not self-made. It is on a leash it cannot see.

The third shape is like a leopard. Four wings on its back. Four heads on its shoulders. It can move fast and think in many directions. It covers ground. It collects titles. Then a key line lands: “dominion was given to it.” Given. Not seized in full. Given by a higher will. Even quick success is a gift on loan. This matters. It means speed cannot outrun the Giver. It means no map is big enough to make that cat safe.

The fourth shape does not fit any zoo. It looks sharp and cold. Iron teeth. Bronze claws. It crushes and stomps and leaves scraps underfoot. It is “different” from the three before it. That word helps us name how some regimes feel. Harder. Harsher. More machine than man. When you read this, you feel why Daniel trembles. That reaction is sane. Scripture allows lament. It allows the shiver that comes when power looks inhuman.

Horns rise on the head of that last beast. Ten of them. Then a small horn pushes up and three fall. Eyes watch. A mouth speaks big words. It struts. It sizes itself up against heaven. This is brag that fills the air like smoke. It does not need truth. It needs volume. It spreads. It shapes laws and calendars. It wants to make people forget who sets the times. It wants to name the days.

Pressure follows the noise. The text says this mouth “wears out the saints.” That is plain. Tired bodies. Tired minds. Tired prayers. The attack lands on the faithful. It is long. It feels unfair. It feels like it will last forever. Yet the words give a span. “A time, times, and half a time.” There is a limit. There is a number. The saints may not know the count, yet heaven does. Weariness is real. The stopwatch is real too.

This helps us live with clear eyes. Boast is loud. Pain is real. Faith does not mean you skip the strain. Faith listens for the clock that human ears cannot hear. Faith learns to pray in the press. Faith remembers that every loud mouth has breath that runs out. None of them set the age to come. None of them write their own forever.

Then the scene shifts. Thrones are set in place. The Ancient of Days takes His seat. White garment. Pure hair. Fire like a river. Many serve. Many stand. Books are opened. This is court, not chaos. Records matter. Deeds are seen. Words are weighed. Nothing leaks through the cracks. What looked random is reviewed. What looked loud is measured. The picture slows the pulse. The bench is firm.

Judgment falls. The beast is killed. Its body burns. The other beasts lose their rule and linger for a short while. That detail is honest. Old systems can hang around even when their teeth are gone. Leftovers still vex the world. Yet the gavel has fallen. The end is set. History is not a loop with no exit. There is a verdict. There is a flame.

Now a new figure appears. “One like a son of man” comes with the clouds. He is brought near to the Ancient of Days. Dominion is given to Him. Glory is given to Him. A kingdom is given to Him. All peoples and nations and tongues serve Him. His rule does not end. His kingdom does not break. This is the core of hope. Power shifts hands. It rests on a Person who bears our frame and carries heaven’s claim.

Notice the chain of giving. Dominion was given to the leopard. Words were given to the bear. Task was given to the first beast. But here the gift fills the whole field. The Son of Man receives all. Not for a season. Not for a war cycle. For an age without end. That means the world’s center is personal, not mechanical. The future is not a machine that grinds on. The future belongs to a King who knows His people.

The vision adds one more grace. The saints receive the kingdom. They take it. They possess it forever. Judgment is given in their favor. Authority that chewed them now releases them. The weary stand up straight. Their hands are empty of swords and full of trust. They are not guests in this realm. They are heirs. This is why the text spends time on them. Their tears are counted. Their day is coming.

This shapes daily life. We can refuse panic. We can practice steady work. We can speak truth without heat. We can endure when loud voices swell. We can pray like people who know court is in session above. We can grieve with hope. We can face change without losing our center. We can teach our children that news chyrons are not the last word.

It also shapes our prayers for those in power. We can ask for humility. We can ask for justice. We can ask for wisdom that serves and does not feed on the weak. We can ask that the Lord cut short the days of harm. We can ask for mercy on cities and fields and homes. We can ask for courage to live quiet and holy lives while the tide rages.

And it shapes how we read our times. When strength looks like iron, we remember it rusts. When laws bend against truth, we remember they bend back or break. When pride takes the mic, we remember it runs out of breath. When saints feel thin, we remember the clock. When the future feels hard to name, we remember the name above every name.

The Ancient of Days Judges the Nations

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