Last
week we began looking at Daniels vision in Ch.7 He saw 4 beast rising up out
of the Sea Nations of the world or humanity itself
A) Noted that the 4 beast
represent 4 nations Some today think the nations refer to modern nations of
today
B) Majority of Literal Bible
commentators w/ whom I agree believe this is a repeat of the nations mentioned
in Ch. 2 Lion Babylon, Bear, Medo-Persia, Leopard
Greece, The 4th beast with the ten horns Rome in the last days
C) The Key thing to note is
both camps{ see the 4th beast as an Aspect of the
1) Daniel 2
D) Ancient
So when Daniel starts seeing
beast with 10 horns- here in D7 and John sees a similar beast in
Commentators make that
connection
Last
days Roman empire is going to consist of a
Difference in the visions
from Ch.2 & 7 is
4
Kingdoms marked by valuable and strong metals
A)
B) The other difference is:
In ch. 7 we are given greater detail of these things and we see each of the
Kingdoms in its later stages rather than in its beginning glory.
We talked about all of that
extensively last time.
Tonight
we want to pick things up in v.7 mainly consider this 4th beast
7 "After this I saw in the night
visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong.
It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the
residue with its feet.
The Phrase
devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet is
definitely a Characteristic of ancient Rome
that really stands out from the nations of Babylon, Medo Persia and Greece of the 4 Rome was much more ruthless.
It
was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
A) This phrase is the signal
that he is referring to this Future aspect of the
B )It will be different
more hideous 10 horns
10 parts it -
John saw
a similar scene in
Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And
I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on
his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard,
his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The
dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.
John sees a similar thing
except in his vision the Characteristics of the first 3 beast or kingdoms have
been amalgamated into the 4th beast
Meaning this final world
empire will have aspects of those other 3
kingdoms with in its power structure.
Daniel
seems to be fascinated by the horns
8 I was considering the horns, and there
was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first
horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like
the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.
So
from the 10 horns one emerges that subdues 3 A)Human like Eyes and a
mouth gives us a hint that he is talking about a person -
B) Now in V.15 we are going to get a further
explanation of this
1) but the thing I want you
to note here is this 4th beast is taking on this human element.
C) Eyes like a man - insight
/ a mouth to speak He is persuasive with words Beast = Anti-Christ
For
right now lets continue with the vision
9 "I watched till thrones were put in place,
And the Ancient of Days was seated;
His garment was white as snow,
And the hair of His head was like pure wool.
His throne was a fiery flame,
Its wheels a burning fire;
10 A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A
thousand thousands ministered to Him;
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated, And
the books were opened.
Now
I love what God does here:
A) As Daniel is seeing these
4 hideous beast that are more horrific
and powerful & ugly and intimidating than anything man has ever encountered
-
B) God reminds Daniel of HIS
GLORY AND POER . God takes him into
heaven
1) He sees the glory of God.
C)
God does the same thing in the book of
CC) to the glory and the
worship that is around the throne of God in heaven.
D) Always being reminded of
where the things happening on the earth are originating from and who is in
control
E) Folks that is something
that we must always keep in mind and see even in the midst of our own personal
dark times
God is on the
throne Sickness, death, Job loss etc
Mindful of his
glory His Power His Sovereignty
Who
is the ancient of Days mentioned here?
A) Some
commentators mistake the Ancient of Days for Jesus Christ.
B) Actually, we only need to read down to verse 13 to see that
this is not Jesus. { Son of Man
C) No, this is the Father Himself. He is called in the Bible
"the Ancient of Days" only in this chapter (verses 9, 13, & 22),
a title that refers to the fact that He is "the eternal God" (Deut.
33:27).
His Description two
details.
A) The
first being that His garments or clothing) were like white snow.
B) The
other description is that His hair was like pure wool.
1) Both
of these descriptions refer to the purity of God.
His Throne: Daniel also gives us descriptions of His
surroundings.
A) His throne is ablaze with
flames.
B) There are wheels on His
throne {His being Active} that are also a burning fire.
C) And, a river of fire is
flowing out from before Him.
D) Fire in the Scriptures is
a symbol of judgment. It is quite clear that He is ready to judge.
1)This is a
brilliant manifestation of Gods splendor and the fierce heat of His judgment.
A stream or River of Fire
A) There is something
lava-like in the stream of fire pouring from the throne; it is a river of
vast destructive power.
B) Interesting where do
rivers flow into ocean or lakes right Revelation 19 Antichrist is thrown
into lake of fire.
C) Could it be the fire that
fills that lake comes from the thrown of God ?
HIS
FOLLOWERS
A thousand thousands ministered to Him;
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
A) Thousand thousands would be millions.
B)Ten thousand times ten thousand would be
one hundred million.
C) In
So, we see the similar scene
in the book of Revelation. John saw it as Daniel saw it.
A) These are sort of parallel types of visions as
they behold the throne of God. Can you picture that?
B) Can you picture this awesome throne of God with
millions upon millions of angelic beings, one hundred million plus millions of
millions?
2 Million at the
inauguration
C)
So the books were open.
1)The book of remembrance
(Malachi 3:16 All deeds words etc revealed
no one is without fault -
D) Those washed in the blood
blotted out
E) The Book of Life
(Philippians 4:3,
The
thing that God wants Daniel to see is that this hideous 4th beast is
going to be judged and destroyed by God himself
11 "I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words
which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body
destroyed and given to the burning flame. 12 As for the rest of the beasts,
they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season
and a time.
This
passage is another illustration of how quickly God can dispose of the mightiest
of men, and how men in their wickedness are ultimately brought to divine
judgment.
A) Statement
of Contrast Gods judgment of the 4th beast the Antichrist and his
kingdom is going to be definite and severe
B) contrasted
with the fact that the over throw of the first 3 Kingdoms wasnt definite or
severe still exist today in minor forms
Next
Daniel sees the transition from human dominion on the earth to Divine dominion
as Daniel sees the 2nd coming of Christ to the earth
13 "I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That
all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass
away, And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.
This
is the first of 4 times that we are told in this Chapter that Jesus is going to
come and set up his kingdom on the earth
A) The other 3 times v18,
21, 27 We are told that the Saints are going to be reigning
B) The reason I find that so
intriguing is there two schools of thought in the Church that teach that Jesus
is not going to return to the earth.
B) Amillennialism Kingdom
age started at the Rez will continue to the 2nd Coming
1)Jesus is currently
reigning in hearts will return take everyone to heaven
C) All the scriptures that
talk about the millennial reign seen as allegories
Preterist
All of this happened in AD 70
We are told 4 times in this
Chapter He is going to reign on the earth with the saints
Jesus returns - Antichrist
is Judged - Jesus sets up his kingdom on the earth
Turn to
Daniel
saw the same event that John did.
A) Daniel 7 and
B) At the end of
the Great Tribulation, God will judge the nations who thought that they could
"wage war against the Lamb" (Rev 17:14) and win.
C) The devil ,
the antichrist, and his false prophet will be thrown into the lake of fire.
So
that was the vision that Daniel saw and it shook him up big time.
15 "I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and
the visions of my head troubled me.
The visions of my head
Spirit
within the body Spirit, Soul, Body
16 I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the
truth of all this.
Who is the he who stood by
So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these
things: 17 'Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out
of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and
possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.'
The
vision in a nutshell there are 4 kingdoms coming which arise out of the earth
A) Same idea as sea =
Humanity the nations the sea is encompassed in planet earth so this is
not a contradiction
B) There will be 4 world
empires that govern the earth- but in the end
1) God wins and his saints
are going to possess the earth forever and ever.
C) Daniel isnt satisfied
with that answer Like an inquisitive
kid he wants to know more.
19 "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, and 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.
The fourth beast interests
Daniel because of its great destructive power, because of the conspicuous horn,
and because of its fight against the saints).
23 "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. { this is a different idea 10 kings coming
out of this kingdom speaking of some sort of
And
another shall rise after them; { this is the little horn 11th after
the 10
He
shall be different from the first ones,{ Stands out Something different intriguing about
him
And
shall subdue three kings. { He is powerful has authority commands respect or fear
10
Horns = 10 Kings or Kingdoms What are the ten horns of this beast? EU?
A) Originally, when the European Union was in its infancy, Bible
prophecy students were dead-set on the premise that the EU would be comprised
of only ten nations.
B) When more were added, it seemed to mess up the whole deal.
C) Now,
many teach that ten of them will rise to prominence. Today there is the WEU -
D) We do see the EU growing in Power the value of the Euro
surpassed the dollar
1) Talk of forming an EU military task force
E) Anti American sentiment is growing amongst many of the EU
nations
Is this what Daniel was talking about? Possible
Another idea
- it is referring to ten regional kings
ruling together over North America, Central America, South America, Africa,
Western Europe, Eastern Europe, The Middle East,
Divide the world into ten parts, and there you have ten kings,
horns on the head of this beast of a world empire.
That is based out of
25
He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,{ He is an orator
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. 31/2 yrs
John is given a similar
vision in
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies,
and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. (31/2 yrs of 7 year
tribulation 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy
against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in
heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome
them.
The
power of the "little horn" over the saints
is limited. It will last for three-and-one-half years
Overpowering The Saints?
A) Wait didnt Jesus teach in
B) Blessed are you
upon this rock I will build My church;
and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it."
C) But here They are overpowered in Daniel's vision, but Jesus said they cannot
be overpowered.
1) Both cannot be true. Is this a contradiction in the Bible? No.
D) It is just a misunderstanding of who we're talking about.
1) You see, the word "saints" is used in the Bible to describe the
church (Acts 9:13; Rom. 1:7; 1Cor. 1:2; Eph. 1:1; etc.). But it is not an
exclusive term.
It
is a word that simply means "holy ones." Long before the church was
born, it was used to refer to those Israelites who placed their faith in God (Psalm 16:3, 34:9; etc.).
And it is used
again in Revelation to describe those who will place their faith in Christ
during the tribulation period, after the church age is over. And this is the
group Daniel is talking about.
Changes Times
and Law
Alterations In Times And Law
What sort of alterations will be made in times? I think that if I
hated God and came to world power, I would begin by changing the dating system
of the years.
BC Before Christ -
"AD" is the abbreviation for the Latin "Anno
Domin," meaning "in the year of our Lord." Jesus is the very focus of our calendar!
Oh, many people are now using "BCE" (Before Common Era),
trying to erase the fact that the birth of Christ is the central point in time
of all history,
but whether you add the
"E" or not, the year still points to Jesus Christ!
I can picture the antichrist doing away with that system
altogether.
The
other thing he alters is the law.
A) Right now,
our society's laws are based on a Judeo-Christian moral standard.
C) Things such as adultery, incest, rape, child pornography, and
murder are illegal.
1) But why are they considered illegal?
D) Because God said that these things were sin. When the church is
removed from the world, and the antichrist is no longer restrained, what will
be the point of having laws based on morality?
Society's mind will be warped beyond our imagination, just
as we see happen in individuals who reject God.
And just as they did not
see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind,
to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness,
wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; {they
are} gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful,
inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding,
untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and, although they know the ordinance of
God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do
the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
I
believe that under the rule of antichrist, the world will no longer have laws
forbidding wicked behavior.
Much
of that behavior will be given hearty approval.
26 'But 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
Because the
Certainly, the church did
not cause a sudden and catastrophic fall of the
"It is questionable
whether the
There are three options in
interpreting the kingdom's establishment
here:
There is no fulfillment;
Daniel is in error
The fulfillment is symbolic
in church history
The fulfillment is literal,
and yet future
.This
must describe the millennial earth, not our current age or heaven.
The
kingdom and dominion of the earth
certainly does not belong to the righteous now.
If this describes the eternal state, then what
are the dominions that shall serve and obey Him?
We again notice that the kingdom and dominion . . . shall be given to the
saints.
It is something received, not
achieved. The church does not convert the world to Jesus kingdom and give the
kingdom to Jesus; He gives it to them.
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."
My thoughts
greatly troubled me: Many things might trouble Daniel at this vision - such as the
ferocity of the attack to come against his people from the conspicuous horn.
And my countenance changed: Daniel was convinced this was true, and the word
of God.
He was so convinced of its truth that his countenance changed and he considered what would happen.