Today we come to the second half of Daniel, where we read about the visions that Daniel has. This is also the last chapter in Aramaic. This shift in language also gives us a big picture view of the Old Testament - Of the exile from the garden of God, to the return. And here in these chapters God is giving us a sneak peek into the future, to show us the future, till the Son of man comes to harbor in a new age, a new rest, a new eternal inheritance.
Before we begin I think it’s important to just admit right away, these chapters are difficult to understand. If you were struggling at home this week, don’t worry you are not alone. Professors and preachers throughout history have struggled on these. I am not going to give you all the answers, or pretend that I know what all this is about. I confess there is much in these chapters that I am unsure of. But together we may pray for the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and ears to help us understand. This is God’s word, after all, and it was written for our benefit. So what we do understand we will go through, and above all we will try to make sure we get the main point of each chapter, which I think is unmistakably clear.
“The kingdom of the world is now the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.”
- The world kingdoms rage
- Gods Kingdom rules
- The war between the two
The Worlds Kingdom Rage
Nebuchadnezzar was probably getting older at this time. He was in the twilight years of life on earth, maybe thinking about the big picture, about what God was doing with his people. And while he is lying on his bed God reveals to him, in a dream, and he writes it down so that 2500 years or so later we could read it here in Cape Town and still be encouraged.
In Verse 2 we read, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea.” And he sees in verse 3, “Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.”
Whenever you get something coming out of a wild sea, “watch out!” The sea in the Bible is a wild and dangerous place, an image of the nations. In Psalms, the sea is the picture of uncontrollable political forces in the world. As we read in Isaiah 57:20, “But the wicked are like the tossing sea, for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up refuse and mud.” This raging and churning sea is a picture of universal chaos.
We see this madness, this raging among human nations throughout history. There are times of peace, but generally the nations are in chaos, either collapsing from within, or continually at each other’s throats. So although this chapter is speaking about a specific time in history, it is a picture of all kingdoms of this world. The four winds represent all directions of the earth. North. South. East. West. The princes conspire, and the nations gather together against the Lord and his anointed. Let us break their chains, they say, let us throw off their fetters (Psalm 2).
Notice one more thing; it is the winds of heaven that are controlling this raging sea though. Although the raging of the nations, and their might and power seem so powerful, God is controlling the winds. The Lord is the one that controls the sea as we read in Jeremiah 5, “‘Do you not fear Me?' declares the LORD 'Do you not tremble in My presence? For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, an eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it. Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail; though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.”
There is an end to the power of the wicked, their power is not limitless. So when we look around at the crazy world events may this chapter give you the confidence to know the LORD is in control.
Let’s take a look at these beasts. There are four of them. Right away you might think of the four kingdoms in Chapter 2 of Daniel. There are four basic kingdoms in Daniel two and there are four here. All four follow each other, and then at the end a kingdom destroys all of these and rules all. Because of these similarities, I think they have the same meaning.
The visions in Daniel 2 and 7 then show us four human kingdoms that came before the coming of the kingdom of God. Particularly Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome, although the last beast may still be representative of all the rest of history. And we also have to understand these kingdoms give us a picture of the whole human project without God. Powerful, scary, inflicting real harm, but ultimately bound by Gods power, and destroyed.
We read about the four beasts in verse 4-8. Verse 4 “The first was a lion, and it had wings like an eagle, I watched till its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground. So that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it.” This is the Babylonian empire, and the image of this beast is very similar to what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar. We read here that it had wings like an eagle, and in Daniel 4:33 we read “His “hair grew as long as eagle’s feathers and his nails were like bird claws.” And just like it says here that he stood on two feet like a man, in Daniel 4 its says Nebuchadnezzar was given the heart of a man.
The second kingdom is most likely the Medio- Persian. They would take over the Babylonian empire not long after Daniel saw this vision. Just as silver is worth less then gold, so the bear is also less feared than the lions among the beasts. It is said of this empire that they would “eat your fill of flesh.” That is exactly what happened. The Persian wars were great and bloody endeavors, and many people died. It was the thirst for power, for land, for dominion that drove them. Not much has changed in 2000 years. Only 80 years ago we saw an empire vying for world domination, and it will happen again.
The third kingdom was a leopard with 4 wings. This probably refers to the Greek empire started under Alexander the Great, an unbelievable general who conquered the known world by the age of 32. I don’t know what you were doing in your late 20’s and 30’s but this man took over the world. He went all the way to India and would have gone further, but his soldiers were tired of fighting, and would not go. It is ironic that he died in Babylon or Susa, in the Palace of Nebuchadnezzar. Also he had great regard for the Persian king Cyrus. But we will talk more about Alexander in the next chapter. You notice something here: In the end they all want the same thing, an earthly kingdom without God, and they all die, and are no more.
Finally we get the last beast which is so terrifying Daniel doesn’t even describe him, all that he can see is the massive teeth this beast has. Notice the teeth were iron just like the legs of Nebuchadnezzar’s image in chapter two. And here, just like in that vision, most of the time is spent describing this kingdom. This is probably Rome, who crushed and overwhelmed all who stood before them. And one of the kings stood up and boasted against the Lord of heaven. Again there is some debate about it, and it is hard to know who this was, I think it was Caesar Augustus. Caesar Augustus called himself savior of the world, and it was in his time that the true son of man came to earth. There are many other possible interpretations too. For this reason I think it is representative of the anti-Christ of every age, who I believe will only raise themselves higher and fall farther.
The point is that these kingdoms represent the attempts of world empires to set up a lasting and almighty rule on earth among the sons of men and they stand in contrast to the kingdom of God. Daniel is shocked as he sees them again. Remember that this man is not naive. He’s been involved in human government. He knows how corrupt people can be. But even this man who had been involved in government all his life is shocked at the wickedness and brutality of these earthly kingdoms. Even Daniel who has faced down lions, or worse, Nebuchadnezzar’s temper, was terrified at the sight of what these nations would do. But even as he is describing the beast for us his eyes look up into Heavens throne room.
The Kingdom Of God
And that scene removes us from the earth and the kingdoms of this world and it takes us into the throne room of heaven. In verses 9 through 14 we have entered into that vision of God and of His throne room, and over against the apparent power and the evident depravity of the kingdoms of this world, we see the actual power, the actual sovereignty of God and the righteousness of God almighty in verses 9 through 14.
The contrast between the earthly confusion, and fighting and killing is marked, here we have a room full of order, and peace. We read in verse 9 and 10, “Thrones were set in place and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was white as snow; his hair on his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming fire and his wheels were all ablaze.”
The Ancient of Days sits upon His throne and the world is under His control. Heavenly calm is contrasted to earthly chaos. And again the message is, God is in complete control. No matter what His people are undergoing. There are just quickly a few things I want you to notice in this passage.
First of all, notice what God is called: The Ancient of Days. Kingdoms come, kingdoms go. What’s powerful today will be gone tomorrow, we have seen it again and again in this book. But the Ancient of Days is still on the throne.
What is the goal of every earthly kingdom? To last a long, long time. What is God called here? The Ancient of Days. These beasts, as terrifying and powerful as they are, are grasshoppers, tiny teetsy weentsy little bugs in the sight of the Ancient of Days.
Notice also the Ancient of Days is white as snow. Daniel has just described world government at its wickedest. In contrast to the wickedness of human government, and we see it all around us in this country, he pictures the Ancient of Days white as snow representing His righteousness, His purity. Some governments even mean well, but as long as there is sin, they always end up brutalizing their subjects.
And he is sitting on his throne. He reigns. He is in unquestionable control. He is in the position of authority. What a comforting thing for Daniel in the midst of the reign of that puny man, Belshazzar, to see his God on the throne. O that we could see this vision today through the word of God! He rules!! In holiness, purity and righteousness. And he is the great judge of heaven and earth. That is the whole point of preaching this book, so that you and I might be encouraged to be faithful in this world, because our God is sovereign, and he will judge the living and the dead in this life and the next.
One more encouragement to Daniel. Notice in verse 10, that myriads and myriads are before the throne. This is, as one commentator said, one of the kindest portions of this vision. How often had Daniel had to stand alone for his God? There were so many times he stood alone in his life, and now he sees millions! And his heart is lifted up to a place where there are thousands and thousands and tens of thousands worshipping God almighty. There he will be home and there he will not be alone. Here we may be called to stand in the minority. In heaven there will not be one person on the other side!
A coupleof last things that I want to point out in verse 11-14 before we briefly move to the end of this chapter. Notice the books are open. We’re in the courtroom. This is the judgment day. God is not only in control, it is He who will judge the world. Now it’s very interesting that in the midst of this huge scene there’s a flashback in verses 11 and 12 and suddenly we’re looking back at that fourth beast again.
But you know what? It’s almost a letdown. if you were expecting this epic back and forth battle, I am sorry but there is just no comparison between the Power of the Ancient of days and this beast. The beasts are slain and very little is said about it. It’s almost as if Brazil played soccer against South Africa, and Brazil had Messi, Ronaldo, and Suarez, and they were playing again 1st graders in South Africa. I mean who’s a match for God Almighty? He comes in, He wipes out the fourth beast, that’s it. Game over. No five chapter long extended epic battle. It’s just over. He wipes out all who are in opposition to His people.
And finally we get this glorious vision in verse 13 of this person called the Son of man coming on the clouds. He travels the way God himself is pictured. This is God. There is 70 times in the Bible where God is pictured as riding on the clouds. No one else is pictured as riding on the clouds. So we have the Ancient of Days, and the Son of man in the same scene. This is Jesus Christ. There is no doubt; Jesus himself applies this passage to himself.
In this chapter we have a picture that takes us all the way back to Genesis 2 again, where the son of man Adam is given dominion to rule over the beasts. Or think of Psalm 8, where the question is asked, “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” And then it goes on explaining man’s rule over the beasts of the field. You see, man was called to rule creation instead of being ruled by it. But because they turned their backs on God, the serpent - the beast - took the dominion given to man. Daniel would have been well aware of these texts, he was a Jew who knew his Bible, and these texts then add great meaning to our own texts. For him, but also for us as we join him in this magnificent story from creation to new Creation. Man will again be restored to his rightful place! Man is not destined to be ripped apart by the beast of Satan, and his allies, the world and the flesh.
THE SON OF MAN, was coming to put an end to the beast. To rule over the beasts once again. Rather than man worshipping creation. Man now, once again, rules creation in Jesus; The better more perfect second Adam. The first Adam was the son of God small letters, the second Adam was The Son of God, capital letters.
Psalm 2 fits beautifully here,
“The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron.”
Notice v. 14 says he was given all authority. What did Jesus say before he went into heaven. “All authority has been given to me.” O was a great blessing it must have been to see this future for Daniel and Gods people! God would not let the beast rule forever. His authority would be ripped from him, and given to the son of Man.
The War between the Two
Finally lets briefly look at v. 15-28. Particularly 19-28. There is a similarity between how the king of Babylon works, and how the kings work after Babylon. It is a pattern of exalting themselves against God and his people, persecuting the saints; then through the defeat of the arch enemy, God’s people are delivered. We see it in verse 11 and 12, again in verse 21 and 22, and again in verse 25 and 26. We see this cycle again and again in Revelation and it will continue until it comes to a climatic end when the anti-christ is totally and finally destroyed, and the saints inherit the kingdom of God. But the battle is not over, and it is not easy, and it comes at great cost.
This battle is the reason Daniel says he was deeply troubled and his face turned pale. All Daniel can see is that the Lord’s people in His kingdom are going to be persecuted by a beast that will pursue them even unto the end of their lives and that before the kingdom is set up in rule, there will be much suffering endured by the people of God. The beast still prowls like a roaring lion beloved. But Gods plans cannot be thwarted!
Far beyond simply returning the people of Israel into their own homeland, God has plans for a kingdom that will extend around this world and will bring in men and women and boys and girls from every tribe and tongue and nation to worship the living God.
But it will involve incredible suffering. And it’s a measure of Daniel’s heart that his heart is broken over people that he would never know. He knows the kind of suffering they are going to experience, and he’s moved by it and his heart is troubled and so he needs every bit of the encouragement that God gives him. And we need it, too.
In Revelation we still hear the heart-cry of Gods people of HOW LONG O LORD?! You see these kingdoms point to something beyond them as well. Our war is not against flesh and blood but against the principalities of this evil world. Against the unholy trinity of flesh, world, and satan.
From this comes one of three practical implications of this vision that I would like to conclude with. First of all, the people of God must never be naive about the strength, reality and the durability of evil. It is with us in this fallen world. It is a force of wickedness and harm and we must never underestimate what it can do.
Secondly, we must remember that the kingdom of God is a kingdom of suffering in the here and now. We must not only be prepared for it ourselves, but we must be one with all our brethren who suffer in persecution and in oppression. We must care for them and pray for them.
Finally Daniel 7 teaches us that the events of history are not isolated from events beyond history. No, what goes on outside of time and space, actually is the deciding factor of what happens in history. The course of humanity is determined in the throne room of God almighty and that is a message that we all need to hear today. Christ is enthroned beloved. The books are open. History is his, and his rule has started. Even today through the preaching of the gospel the final battle is being waged on the kingdom of the beast, and it will be destroyed in a moment and be no more when we hear that mighty trumpet call. So let’s believe that all of our tomorrows are in his hands, and that in Jesus Christ the kingdom we love will overcome. Amen.