“The Ancient of Days” [Matt's Messages]

“The Ancient of Days”

The King of Kingdoms - The Book of Daniel

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

March 9, 2025 :: Daniel 7:1-28  

Daniel chapter 7 is about “The Ancient of Days.”

As all of the other chapters that we’ve studied so far, this chapter is all about Who God is and what He is doing.

And the main name for God in Daniel chapter 7 is “The Ancient of Days.”  This name appears in verse 9, verse 13, and verse 22. And this is the only place in the whole Bible where that particular name for God shows up.

“The Ancient of Days.” The One who is from all eternity. The Eternal God. Which is mind-blowing, I know! Just thinking about the concept of eternity is a mind-blower. And this is a Person Who is eternal. “The Ancient of Days.” 

Keep your eyes on the Ancient of Days.

That’s important to keep in mind as we read Daniel chapter 7 because even though it’s kind of obvious, it’s also kind of easy to miss. Because we can so easily begin to focus on the other wild and wonderful things that also show up in Daniel chapter 7.

As with the rest of this book, the point of Daniel 7 is not Daniel the wiseman. He is in chapter 7. Daniel actually is the one human character that carries through the last half of this book. The four big visions of Daniel! But Daniel the wiseman would be the first to say that Daniel 7 is not about Daniel the wiseman!

And it’s also not about these beasts! They are there, and they are terrifying, but they are not the point. And correctly identifying who these beasts are in real life is also not the point. As interesting and edifying as it may be to try to piece it all together, the fantastic beasts of Daniel 7 are not the point of Daniel 7.

And neither is the identity of the “little horn” of verse 8 and verse 11, and verse 20-26. I’ll tell you what I think that is, but whatever it is, it is not the point of Daniel 7. The point of Daniel 7 is the Ancient of Days. 

And, yes, there is one other character that Daniel 7 is all about, and that’s especially true because of His special relationship with the Ancient of Days. We’ll get there in due course.

Keep your eyes on the Ancient of Days as we study Daniel chapter 7.

Daniel 7 tells the story of a horrific and hope-filled dream that Daniel had.

We’ve read about a bunch of dreams so far in the Book of Daniel, but they were all the dreams of the king. But now it’s Daniel’s turn to dream. Look at verse 1.

“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.”

We’ve reached the second half of the Book of Daniel, and it’s going to very different, in some ways, from the first half. The first half, the first six chapters, was full of stories. Especially stories about kings and their courts. This second half, the last six chapters, are going to be full of prophetic visions. Four major revelatory visions all seen by Daniel the wiseman. Chapter 7, chapter 8, chapter 9, and then chapters 10-12 contain the four visions. 

These chapters have a different feel to them. If you thought the first six chapters were wild, hold onto your seats! And yet, this is not a different book. This is the same book. It has the same author. It has the same themes. It has the same message. And it has the same two languages.

Remember how we said that Daniel was written in two cousin languages, Hebrew and what? Aramaic, which was the international language of the day. There are 6 chapters in Hebrew and 6 chapters in Aramaic. What language is chapter 7 written in? 

It’s Aramaic. Chapter 1 was in Hebrew. Chapters 2 through 7 are in Aramaic. And one of the things that does is show us that this is all one book. And chapter 7 is the hinge chapter that the whole book turns on.

And, of course, there were also visions in the first half. Chapter 7 is a lot like chapter 2. We will see how the dream of Daniel in chapter 7 reminds us a lot of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar back in chapter 2.

Now, when was this dream? Verse 1 says that was “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon.”

So chapter 7 is a flashback, isn’t it? It takes place before which chapters? It’s before chapter 6. That was King Darius the Mede. Is it before chapter 5? Yes, it is. Because that was King Belshazzar’s last day as king. His feast with the writing on the wall on the day he died in October of 539BC.

Daniel had this dream about 14 years before that. The first year of Belshazzar was probably 553BC.  Daniel was middle-aged then. Maybe 66 or 67? He might have been in his first retirement. Maybe trying to live a quiet life. Praying three times and day and living for the glory of God and the good of his people.

And one night between chapter 4 and chapter 5, Daniel had a dream. And it was a doozy. This dream shook Daniel to his core. And it was clearly from God. I don’t know exactly how he knew, but he knew this dream was a revelation. So he wrote it down. Look at verse 2.

“Daniel said: ‘In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea” (vv.1-2).

This was part of the dream was like a nightmare. Daniel is by the sea, maybe the Mediterranean. And there is a giant storm. The four wild winds of heaven mean from every corner of the earth–north, south, east, and west–and the sea is all churned up. Waves crashing everywhere!

We’ve learned before to the Hebrews the sea was a symbol of chaos. It’s uncontrollable and often felt to be a picture of human evil seemingly out of hand. You set out into that sea, and you will never return.

And then out of that caldron of chaos arises four beasts. Four monsters! These four horrific creatures come, one, then another, then another, and then another up out of the swirling storm of a sea.

There is no way of capturing how scary this part of the dream was. We have our CGI and our special effects. We have photoshop, but everything we make with those things is tame compared to this. We cannot depict how terrifying and fearsome and nightmarish this was for Daniel. It’s like a horror movie without any of the “fun.”

And Daniel knows that it all means something. Here’s the first beast. Verse 4.

“‘The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until 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.”

It’s a hybrid-composite creature. Picture a lion, like Daniel was going to spend the night with in chapter 6. But this lion has wings like an eagle! And then the wings are torn off and the lion stands on two feet like a human and gets a human heart. What?!

And then the next beast. Verse 5.

“And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, 'Get up and eat your fill of flesh!'”

Notice that they are not a lion or a bear but are like one. This creature is like a bear, and it’s kind of laying on its side, and it’s just eaten another creature–three ribs are all that’s left–and it’s wiping its mouth and going to back to the buffet for more.

But the dream moves onto the third beast. V.6 

“‘After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.”

Four wings and four heads on a creature like a leopard?! And somebody is giving it authority to rule. Is that what you want ruling over you?! A voracious leopard with four heads? You can’t escape from that. It can see in all directions and eat you in all directions! And reach you in seconds. Because it has four wings! And that’s nothing. Wait until you read about the fourth beast. Verse 7.

“After that, in my vision at night I looked [he’s always looking, looking, looking in this chapter], and there before me was a fourth beast–terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.”

Are you scared yet? You’re supposed to be. Daniel was!

He knows that this is all symbolism. This is not saying that there will be these kind of creatures arise on Earth like a Godzilla movie or something. But he knows that they all mean something, and what they mean is truly terrifying.

What kind of an animal is this fourth beast like? Daniel doesn’t say. He can’t come up with an animal to liken this beast to. He has to go with adjectives. “Terrifying and frightening and very powerful.” All he can say is that it had teeth that were metal! They were made of iron! What kind of beast has iron teeth?

He says this one is “different.” It’s the apex predator of all apex predators.

It’s in a class by itself. It’s completely hideous and cruel and violent and ravenous. Look what it does. “It crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left.” Devastation wherever it goes.

And it has ten horns. Horns, in the Bible, are a symbol of power. This one has ten horns. That’s a multiplied strength. This is one super-powerful beast.

I think that one of the reasons why Daniel was so peaceful in chapter 6 was because he had lived through this dream which was far scarier than being thrown to the lions.

Daniel sees one more scary thing. It’s an eleventh horn. You thought the first ten were bad, but look at number eleven. Verse 8.

“While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.”

I can’t think what this was like. There’s this terrible super-beast with ten horns, and then this one horn pops up among the other horns and pushes three of the horns out of it’s way, and this horn has eyes? And a mouth? And the eyes are like a man’s? Is that intelligent? Or greedy? And the mouth is speaking boastfully. Spouting off all kinds of things. Arrogantly. Probably blasphemously. Lies. 

No wonder Daniel is disturbed (v.15)! This is much scarier than Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2.

But this chapter is not about these beasts. This chapter is about the Ancient of Days. In verse 9, everything changes.

“‘As I looked, ‘thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened’” (vv.9-10).

Keep your eyes on the Ancient of Days.

I have three points this morning to try to summarize this chapter, and here’s the first one:

#1. THE ANCIENT OF DAYS WAS, IS, AND ALWAYS WILL BE GOD ENTHRONED OVER ALL.

Daniel has seen these terrible beasts in this terrible storm. But then he see this throne room with the Ancient of Days on the throne. It emphasizes that He is seated. It says it verse 9 and again in verse 10.

“He took his seat.”

The picture is one of ultimate authority. And eternal authority. This Person is the Judge. And He is un-bothered by the animals. He is un-bothered by the monsters. He is just sitting there. He’s not like, “Ooh. No! Look at those scary creatures.” He’s not standing on His throne, clutching his robes. No, He is seated.

He’s not threatened the slightest. In fact, He’s the One threatening. He’s so perfect! He’s so pure.

Right? You see that in verse 9. “His clothing was a white as snow. The hair of his head was white like wool.” White is pure. 

By the way, this is not saying that God actually looks like this. This is a dream. This is a vision. These are symbols. This is apocalyptic imagery. They are telling us who God is--not what God looks like--by telling us what He looks like in the vision. Does that make sense?

He’s pure! He’s so pure. He’s holy, holy, holy. His throne is flaming with fire. I don’t know what that means! And it’s got wheels. This is a moving throne. Like a chariot? It’s like the throne in Ezekiel one. Wheels within wheels. These wheels are on fire!

And there is fire that comes out from Him. Like a river of fire? Like lava? I don’t know. But it means He’s holy! And He’s full of wrath against sin. If He punishes sin. You thought the fiery furnace was something? He’s got fire coming out of throne.

And the whiteness of His hair? That probably symbolizes His age. He’s the Ancient of Days. He’s forever old!

And He’s forever wise. The whiteness of His hair probably illustrates His wisdom, too. Nothing escapes Him. He always knows what to do. He always knows what is right. He’s furious against evil. 

And He’s always been this way, and He’ll always be this way!

He’s the Ancient of Days!

And He is seated on the throne. And He’s surrounded by angelic(?) and maybe saintly(?) attendants. Verse 10. “Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.” I don’t think that means 100,000. I think that means an uncountable number. Angels everywhere. Every eye on Him. Every eye seeing what He says. Every ear hanging on His every word. He is glorious! He is majestic! 

And He always has been, and He always will be.

In verse 2 through 8, I envision all kinds of terrible sounds to go with the the terrible beasts. The storm, the eating of flesh, trampling of people, the screams. But then in verse 9, I hear stillness and peace. The crackling of His holy fire and the opening of the books. 

These books are probably the records of the deeds of human beings. And the Ancient of Days is the judge. He was, is, and always will be God enthroned over all.

That is good news, brothers and sisters. Because it means that this world is not out of control. It may feel that way. And there are terrible things unleashed in the world. There are beasts. Our world can be monstrous. Human kingdoms can be terrifying and frightening and very powerful. Crushing, devouring, trampling.

But there is and always has been and always will be an eternal God enthroned above all.

Tomorrow, a bunch of us are going to Stay Sharp, our district theology conference, and this year the theme is True Spiritual Warfare. So we’ll be talking about Satan and demons and prayer and all of that. And sometimes can get to thinking that our world is a battle between our holy God and the unholy Satan, and they are about equal. Kind of “yin and yang.” And one gets the upper hand then the other gets the upper hand for a while.

But that’s not how it is at all. God is God, and Satan is just a wannabe. They are not anywhere close to equal.

Now, Satan is terrible and terrifying and so are all of his minions, including the humans who band together into evil empires to rule over us and persecute God’s people.  They are truly powerful and scary.

But not to God! Not to the Ancient of Days. He was, is, and always will be God enthroned over all.

And He’s going to do something about the evil. He’s going to judge it. That’s the point of verse 11.

“‘Then I [Daniel] continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)” (vv.11-12).

Daniel keeps looking, looking, looking in his visionary dream.

And it’s kind of like it’s split screen? (I get this idea from Christopher J.H. Wright.)

Up here is the Ancient of Days. Peaceful and powerful. And down on this screen is that eleventh horn on the terrible fourth beast still mouthing off. And then, the Ancient of Days judges the beast so that it dies, and it’s throne into the fire that was coming out of His throne. 

He’s dead. Totally dead. Burnt to a crisp and gone. 

Suddenly, supernaturally, spectacularly! And it’s final. The other beasts, the first three had already lost their authority but had been allowed to hang around in some way. But this is final. This is decisive.

The Ancient of Days wins!

And then He gives away His kingdom. And that’s is (if I can say it) even more wild! Look at verse 13.

“‘In my vision at night I looked [dream part 3], and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (vv.13-14).

This Person is the furthest thing from a beast. He’s not like any of those animals. He’s “like a son of man.” That means He seems human.

But He’s also seems heavenly, right? He rides on the clouds?! Only God rides on the clouds!

So He seems human and He seems divine. And He is allowed into the presence of the Ancient of Days. And He’s welcome there. He doesn’t cower. He doesn’t fear. He just flows right up to One on the Eternal Throne. 

And the Ancient of Days confers on Him a kingdom. The kingdom! The kingdom unlike any other kingdom.

This is the part of the Book of Daniel that is quoted the most in the New Testament, and you can guess why. 

Because I think we now on this side of the Cross, have a pretty good idea Who this “one like a son of man” really is!

But for Daniel, this is all new.  He’s heard some things like this before. There are a lot of similarities between Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2 and Daniel’s dream here in chapter 7. But there are also a lot of new things. And they were troubling to Daniel. Look at verse 15.

“‘I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me.”

What does it all mean? Ironically, Daniel could interpret the dreams of the pagan kings, but this one he didn’t understand on his own. So he asked someone in his dream what it means. Probably an angel. Look at verse 16.

“I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this. ‘So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things:

'The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth. But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever–yes, for ever and ever.'”

So that’s the meaning of Daniel’s dream. Those two verses capture the true meaning in just a few words. The four beasts are not monsters who are going to be unleashed on the earth.

They are four kingdoms. Now, what does that remind you of? Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the statue, right? Remember there were four parts to the statue. With four different materials? Head of Gold, Chest of Silver, Belly of Bronze, Legs of Iron and 10 Toes of Iron and Clay. And we learned back then that they were all kings and their kingdoms. And who was the head of gold? Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylon.

So here we have 4 beasts which are also four kings and their kingdoms according to the angel in verse 14.

So they might match up like this:

1. Beast like a lion = Head of Gold

2. Beast like a bear = Chest of Silver

3. Beast like a leopard = Belly of Bronze

4. Beast unlike all others = Legs of Iron. (Notice that beast has teeth of iron.)

... and 10 Horns = 10 Toes of Iron &Clay

Now, which particular kingdoms does it say that that these four beasts are? What does verse 17 say? (That’s a trick question.)

It does not say! It does not say which kingdoms these four beasts are. And faithful Christians have disagreed about the identification of these kingdoms for over 2,000 years.

My guess is that we have several different theories in this room. And that’s okay. I’ll tell you my best guesses in just a second. But it’s okay for us to have different ideas about that. What’s important is that we agree about verses 17 and 18.

“The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth. But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever–yes, for ever and ever.”

#2. THE ANCIENT OF DAYS WILL DESTROY ALL OF OUR ENEMIES.

The Ancient of Days will kill all of the beasts.

The Ancient of Days will slay all of the monsters.

The Ancient of Days will defeat and destroy all of the evil empires of humanity.

That’s what we need to know.

The Bible doesn’t tell us everything we want to know. But the Bible does tell us everything we need to know. 

And we need to know that there is evil at work in the world. We need to know that our world has a very ugly side to it. We don’t live in Candyland. Our world is scary and ferocious, especially to believers. In chapter 2, the statue of kingdoms looks imposing. But in chapter 7, we see it from God’s perspective above and from the oppressed’s perspective below. It’s more than imposing. It’s terrifying.

That’s true. We need to know that. Daniel needed to know that. The people of Israel needed to know. They needed to know what was coming. And they needed to know that it would not go on forever.

“The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth. But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever–yes, for ever and ever.”

The Ancient of Days will destroy all of our enemies. He will judge them. They will burn up in the fire that comes out of his throne. The beast is slain! The beast is burnt. That’s what’s going to happen!

So, Daniel wants to know more. He’s trying to wrap his mind around, especially, this fourth beast. The “different” one. “What’s going to happen?” Look at verse 19.

“‘Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws [that’s a new detail!]–the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left.

I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell–the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully.

As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them [and defeating them!], until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.

“He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.

The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever’” (vv.19-26).

Now, the interpreter has told Daniel a few more details. But notice that he still does not name names. He still does not tell us what is what and who is who. And his basic point is that things get really bad and then the Ancient of Days fixes it all. Remember, He is the point of it all. Keep your eyes on the Ancient of Days.

So, here’s what I think. And I could be wrong. I’ve changed my mind on this over the years. And I’ve studied all kinds of views this week, once again. There are good arguments all around.

I tend to think that the first beast is Babylon. I mean it feels pretty parallel with the head of gold. And that’s the only kingdom that’s been identified in the book so far. So look at verse 4 again.

“The first was like a lion...” Lions were the chief animal to represent Babylon. There were 120 lions in bold relief just past the Ishtar Gate. And it conquered the world swiftly. Perhaps that’s what the wings meant. But then they got their wings clipped. Was that Nebuchadnezzar’s madness that we read about in chapter 4? If so, then it’s already happened by the time Daniel is having this dream. And it would make sense that the “heart of a man being given to it” was Nebuchadnezzar humbling himself and becoming sane again. Not quite sure, but that makes some sense.

I tend to think that the second beast is the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians. I mean, that’s what came next, right? The fact that in verse 5 the bear is kind of lopsided might point to the Persians growing to be the bigger part of the double-kingdom. I’m not sure. They definitely were hungry for conquest though. They ate up the kingdoms of Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt. Perhaps those are the 3 ribs in the bear-beast’s mouth.

So that would make the third beast the next major world power after the Medes and the Persians. Does anybody know what that was? Who conquered the world next? It was the Greeks under Alexander. And he was conquered fast! In ten years from being 22 to being 32, he conquered the whole known world of his day. Supposedly he cried because there were no more kingdoms to conquer. Maybe that’s why the leopard-beast has 4 wings? And the four heads? Maybe because his kingdom was divided up among 4 kings when he died. We’ll talk more about that next week in chapter 8 and later in chapter 11 because it becomes important there.

And what does that make the fourth beast? Well, it would make sense to say Rome. Because it will be the Roman Empire that conquers the Greek Empire and then lasts for hundreds of years. “Terrifying and frightening and very powerful.”

But this kingdom Daniel keeps saying is “different.” It’s different. And so it probably is Rome. But I think it’s more than Rome. It’s like Rome plus all the other kingdoms of the world that come after it. Or if it’s Rome, and it’s Rome again. Rome on steroids at the end of history.

There’s a real argument to be made that just like the statue of chapter 2 is all of human kingdoms in one statue, this is all of human empires in four beasts. With the fourth beast eating up all the rest and being the worst, eventually the worst kingdom there ever was.

So this little big mouth horn of verse 8? There have been so many guesses about who that is. One of the most popular is a terrible king in the Greek kingdom called Antiochus IV Epiphenes. We’re going to learn more about him in the next month or so, as well. He was completely evil and completely awful. 

And even if Antiochus isn’t the little big mouth horn, he definitely was a precursor to the little big mouth horn. A foretaste about how bad it can get. 

But there have been many other guesses.

I think what’s most likely is that this is the person that John the Elder called “The Antichrist” in 1 John.

I think that’s the same person that the Apostle Paul calls, “The Man of Lawlessness” in 2 Thessalonians 2.

And I think it’s the same person that John the Revelator simply calls, “The Beast” in the Book of Revelation. And he is either in the world now or still on the way. We don’t know.

Verse 21 says that he wages war against the saints and is defeating them. He’s persecuting followers of Jesus! Making their lives a living hell like what was planned for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in chapter 3 and for Daniel in the lions den of chapter 6.

Iron teeth and bronze claws. Crushing, devouring, trampling. He’s powerful and terrifying and imposing and formidable.

But he’s also toast!

Verse 22. “Until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.” (See also 2 Thessalonians 2:8 and Revelation 20:10.)

This dream is not about the little big mouth horn. It’s about the Ancient of Days. If you can’t see it, keep looking. Just like Daniel. Keep looking. Keep looking. Keep looking.

I know it feels sometimes like there are too many kings with too much power over us. Some Christians in this world are at the mercy of kings with no mercy. And it’s going to get worse.

But, at the same time, we have nothing to worry about. Because the Ancient of Days will destroy all of our enemies including the worst ones ever. Everything is going to be made right.

And it will be sooner than it seems. In verse 25, after it gives some more detail about the 10 horns (10 toes?), the 10 kings and the three kings that are tossed out for the one worst king, it says that “The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.”

And there are all kind of theories about that, too. It could simply mean three and half years. A year, two years, a half a year. Which could be the second half of a seven-year tribulation period, if that’s your take on it. It’s also 1260 days and 42 months which show up again in the Book of Revelation. 

And, not coincidently I think, it’s the same period of time that the Jews pushed back against Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the 2nd century BC.

But what I keep coming back to in those words is how it seems like they get cut short.

A time of persecution and trouble. Seems forever.

Times (like double, two times) like it feels as though it will never end.

But then just half-a-time. All of a sudden, it’s over. Like it was cut short.

I don’t know if that’s right. I’m not sure about a lot of these details. But I am sure that one day we will be able to look back and see with crystal clarity, “Oh, that’s what He meant!”

And I’m also sure about this: The Ancient of Days will destroy all of our enemies including the worst ones ever. Verse 26.

“But the court will sit [sit!], and [the last king’s] power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.'"

And then we get the kingdom! Look at verse 27.

“Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him. ‘This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself’” (vv.27-28).

I’m glad he wrote it down for later. 

I’m sure he was really disturbed this dream. I sure that Daniel wanted to hear that, after Babylon, the people of God were going to go back to the Promised Land and live there securely. Daniel didn’t want to hear that they were going to be kicked around and oppressed by at least three more terrible kingdoms.

But I’m also sure that Daniel was deeply reasurred that God has a plan for His people. And that is to give them the kingdom of all kingdoms through the King of all kings.

#3. THE ANCIENT OF DAYS WILL GIVE THE KINGDOM OF KINGDOMS TO THE KING OF KINGS.

Wait. Which is it? Verse 22 and verse 27 say that the kingdom will be handed over to “the saints, the people of the Most High.” But verse 14 told us that it was given to the “one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven.”

Which is it? It’s both, right? 

The son of man is given the kingdom because He deserves it. He comes into the presence of the Ancient of Days, and He is clearly worthy of the kingdom. He must be in His Person worthy of the kingdom. And His deeds, His accomplishments must be worthy of the kingdom. Or the Ancient of Days wouldn’t just give it to Him.

And look at verse 14. Our memory verse. After He receives the kingdom, all peoples, nations, and men of every language worshiped Him.

The cloud-rider! And that was right! The cloud-rider was worthy of that worship. The cloud-rider! is worthy of that worship! Because He died and rose again.

What was Jesus’ favorite name for Himself? He loved to call Himself, “The Son of Man.” 

And He promised us that one day the world will “see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30). Bringing the kingdom with Him and giving it, by grace, to us His people.

He got the kingdom from the Ancient of Days, riding up to Him on a cloud. He’s enthroned right now with Him (Psalm 110, Hebrew 1)! 

And one day, He will return, coming back on the clouds, bringing His eternal kingdom, the kingdom of kingdoms, to hand over to us! Forever and ever. Yes, forever and ever, Amen.

Keep your eyes on the Ancient of Days.

***

Messages in This Series:

01. The King's Service - Daniel 1:1-21
02. The God of Heaven - Daniel 2:1-49
Bonus Message: "No Matter What" - Daniel 3:1-30 from Family Bible Week 2012
03. The God We Serve - Daniel 3:1-30
04. The King of Heaven - Daniel 4:1-37
05. The Lord of Heaven - Daniel 5:1-31
06. The Living God - Daniel 6:1-28

Read More

“The Living God” [Matt's Messages]

“The Living God”

The King of Kingdoms - The Book of Daniel

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

March 2, 2025 :: Daniel 6:1-28

  

Daniel chapter 6 is about the living God.

Daniel chapter 6 is about the God Who is alive. Forever alive! The God Who is real. The God Who is active. The God Who is powerful. The God Who is not dead, no, He is alive. He is the living God.

That’s what the king in this story says about Him, not once, but twice. 

Daniel chapter 6 is about the living God. And we don’t want to miss that because while it’s kind of obvious–every chapter in the Bible is about the living God–it’s also kind of easy to miss when you read an exciting familiar beloved Bible story like this one.

I mean, if I were to say, this chapter tells the story of “Daniel and the ....” how would you fill in the blank?

“The Lion’s Den,” right? And you wouldn’t be wrong. This is one of the most famous stories in the whole Bible, and with good reason! It’s a great story.

A courageous old man gets thrown into a pit of hungry hungry lions!

Were they hungry, by the way? Were the lions hungry?

But in all of the excitement of this exciting story, we cannot miss Whom this story is actually all about.

It’s not ultimately about Daniel, though he does shine in this story! Dare to be a Daniel like the Daniel of chapter 6! But Daniel would be the first to say that this story is not about him or how about how hungry the lions were.

And it’s not about the king either. Not King Nebuchadnezzar. He’s long dead. And not about King Belshazzar. He’s dead now, too. As we saw last week, the writing was on the wall for King Belshazzar, and he died that same night of his famous feast in October 539 BC when the Medes and the Persians took over the city of Babylon. 

And this story is not about King Darius the Mede either. Even though the spotlight is on him for most of the chapter. In fact, it is King Darius the Mede who tells us that this story is about the living God. Not once but twice!

This is the story of Daniel and the living God.

And it begins with a conspiracy.

Let’s look together at Daniel chapter 6, verse 1.

“It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,  with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss” (vv.1-2). Now stop there for just a second.

The King Darius of verse 1 is the same King “Darius the Mede” as verse 31 of the previous chapter. Darius was around 62 years old and had taken over the kingdom of Babylon after the death of Belshazzar.

We don’t know that much about him outside of what the Bible tells us. In fact, scholars go back and forth about who Darius might be identified as from the historical sources outside of the Bible. Different kings often had more than one name in those days, so King Darius might be another name for King Cyrus himself (the high king of the Medes and the Persians) or King Cyaxares II (according to Xenophon) or another of several other people including somebody unmentioned in historical sources outside of the Bible.

I read many many pages in the last couple of weeks of the different evidences for the different options. I count at least 6 leading scholarly opinions. If you are interested in all of that, I’d be glad to point you to some good historical research. [The best and fullest discussion I've found so far is in J. Paul Tanner's EEC commentary, pgs. 45-60).

But for our purposes, it doesn’t matter a whole lot. The Bible says he was Darius the Mede and that he was king over Babylon at this time. And that he recognized Daniel as an able administrator. 

Darius was a shrewd administrator himself. The Bible says that when he took over Babylon, he did a reorganization of the kingdom and appointed 120 “satraps” which were like governors or lieutenants to extend his rule throughout his kingdom. They kept track of things and made sure that the taxes were being paid and the people were under control. And Darius picked three administrators (some versions say “presidents”) to hold accountable those 120 satraps. Maybe 40 each? 40, 40, 40. And one of those top three administrators was Daniel.

That’s amazing all by itself! How old is Daniel? He’s at least 80. Maybe 81, 82, somewhere in there. And he’s been out of leadership for some time. Remember, Belshazzar had to be reminded of Daniel in chapter 5!

But now Daniel is in charge! Belshazzar promised that he’d be the number three guy in the kingdom, but that was only good for one night. But Darius recognizes quality when he sees it! Look at verse 3.

“Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.”

He was going to make Daniel number 2! Right under him and over all of those others. How far Daniel has come since he was taken captive and drug off to Babylon nearly 70 years ago! He’s still got it. And Darius recognizes it.

And his co-workers hate it. Look at verse 4.

“At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.”

Way to go, Daniel! Well done, you. 

Some of Daniel’s co-workers (probably not all 122 of them but the other 2 administrators and some number of the satraps) wanted Daniel to go away. They were probably jealous and probably hated that he was a Jew. This part is very similar to what we saw back in chapter 3 with Daniel’s friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Their co-workers hated them, as well, and wanted them out of the way. 

And these hated Daniel so much that they searched high and low to find some dirt on him to get some leverage on Daniel to force him out of office. But they couldn’t find a thing. Daniel was squeaky clean. He didn’t have any skeletons in his closet.

Dare to be a Daniel and faithfully work at your secular job for decade after decade and be a man or woman of integrity! Dare to be a Daniel and be completely trustworthy at work!

I pray that we, as Christians, would be the best employees at our jobs. The most trustworthy, neither (v.4) “corrupt or negligent.” Daniel did his job, and he did it right.

And Daniel was in government! He was a civil servant. Daniel shows that it is possible to be a true believer and work in the administration of a thoroughly pagan government and do it faithfully, maybe for decades on end. We need Christians to do that today. Some of you in this room may be called to serve in government on some level for some time. It’s hard to do, but Daniel shows that it is possible.

Daniel was “in” Babylon, but not of “of” Babylon. And his co-workers hated him for it.

When I was in college, I worked for a temp agency for a few weeks during spring break. And on one job they sent me to, we were supposed to dismantle an old department store. Stacking all the shelves and everything up and loading it all to be carted away. And I was just doing my job. Whatever they told me to do. And a couple of the other workers took me aside and asked me to slow down. Because I was making them look bad. I was getting too much done! But I couldn’t do that. It wasn’t that I had a lot more energy than they did. I had to do my job as unto my Lord! 

And Daniel has been doing that for nearly 70 years! We saw it in chapter 1, and he’s still doing it in chapter 6. Dare to be a Daniel and faithfully work at your job for decade after decade and be a man or woman of integrity!

I have three points today to summarize what we learn about the living God in chapter 6, and here’s number one:

#1. THE LIVING GOD IS WORTHY OF SERVING CONTINUALLY!

Daniel obviously believed that, and it showed.

He was good at his job because he was serving his God. And his enemies figured out that if they were going to get rid of him, they had to find a way to use his values against him. Look at verse 5.

“Finally these men said, ‘We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.’

So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: ‘O King Darius, live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions' den” (vv.5-7).

Now, that was a lie, wasn’t it? Did you spot the lie when they put it across? They said that “all” of the “administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors” have agreed to this plan.

Is that true? No. There was at least one administrator who didn’t! And his name was Daniel. This whole edict thing is actually a conspiracy against him!

So, keep in mind as you do your work in our world with integrity and faithfulness (not perfectly but faithfully), that may earn you some recognition, but it may also earn you some enemies.

But also keep in mind that the living God is worth having those kind of enemies!

Daniel’s enemies play to Darius’ vanity. Remember, being a king should be humbling, but it’s often not. It doesn’t take long being a king and everybody treating you as if you were the best thing ever to begin to think that you’re the best thing ever!

They suggest that for 30 days we have “King Darius Appreciation Month” (Thanks, Dale Ralph Davis! ☺).

And for 30 days nobody prays unless they pray through Darius.

Which is maybe the most audacious thing so far in this whole book? It isn’t just a big gold statue (which might stand for one of the gods), but to or through a man. Maybe not that he himself was a god, but that at least he was like a high priest and a mediator between the people and the gods.

And the satraps say that everybody is on board with this idea! No church for 30 days unless it’s the Church of Darius.

This is a great idea for pulling the nation together, isn’t it? “Let’s all rally behind our king! Let’s make sure that we are unified as a nation. Especially because Babylon is a conquered nation now. It’s now a part of the Kingdom of the Medes and the Persians. Let’s make sure that everybody bows before King Darius the Mede!”

And nobody else.

Or else. Did you see what the punishment would be for disobeying this 30 day law?

“Anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions’ den.” Which is a gruesome way to die.

And Daniel’s enemies win. They press for Darius to sign this decree, and he does. Verse 8.

“Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered–in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.’ So King Darius put the decree in writing.”

The double kingdom of the Medes and the Persians were famous for their laws, especially that once they made a law, it was impossible to repeal it. You couldn’t roll it back. Even if you were the king who made it. 

And they made a big deal of that. They were pretty proud of that.

And being consistent and being governed by laws is good. No man is above the law, but the best of men are men at best and men’s laws are never perfect.

And this law was far from perfect! In fact, it was conceived just to get one good man in trouble. And it worked.

Now, what would you have done when you heard about the new law about no praying for 30 days?

I think that I would be tempted to wait thirty days before praying anywhere that anyone could see me. I mean, it’s not like the statue in chapter 3, where they all had to bow. This law doesn’t say that they have to do anything!

And nobody could tell if I was praying in my heart. I couldn’t get in trouble for that. And they couldn’t tell I was praying if I was praying at home with the windows closed.

But that’s not what Daniel did. Daniel did what he always did. Look at verse 10.

“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”

Dare to be a Daniel and keep on praying even if the whole world tells you not to.

Daniel believed that the living God was worthy of serving continually. And the living God had told him to pray and pray and pray.

In fact, King Solomon had prayed that the exiles would pray in just this way. Do you remember that? Hundreds of years before this when Solomon was dedicating the temple, he prayed this in 1 Kings chapter 8:

Lord, “When [your people] sin against you–for there is no one who does not sin–and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near [sound familiar? Like, say to Babylon?]; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their conquerors and say, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly'; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their conquerors to show them mercy;  for they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace. May your eyes be open to your servant's plea and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to you."

That’s 1 Kings 8:46-52.

Daniel had read it. I think that’s why Daniel prayed three times a day at his windows which were opened towards the destroyed city of Jerusalem and the torn-down temple of the LORD.

Daniel believed this with all of his heart. The living God was worthy of serving, worshiping, praying towards continually.

He gets down on his knees! A humble old Jewish man. I’m only 51, and it’s a lot farther down to get on my knees than it used to be. He’s 30 years older than I am or more.

But he’s doing it morning, noon, and night.

And he’s doing it morning, noon, and night.

And he’s doing it morning, noon, and night.

And he’s ready to die for doing it!

Are you ready to die for praying?

Often, it doesn’t that much to keep us from praying. Just about anything can disrupt our routine or take precedence over praying. It doesn’t take much to keep us from gathering for worship. There are good reasons to miss gathered worship from time to time. Don’t come if you’re delirious or contagious! Don’t come one Sunday if you’re going to go in a ditch or fall in the parking lot. But sometimes any old excuse will do.

Daniel was willing to die for praying! That’s not because he had a death wish.

It’s because He believed that the living God was worthy of serving continually.

When we get to chapter 9, we’ll see some of things that Daniel prayed. He prayed for his people in exile. He prayed for their restoration to the land. He prayed for God’s promises to be fulfilled for them. He probably also prayed for protection from this bad law. And he probably prayed for King Darius the Mede and maybe even for his enemies that wanted him dead.

Verse 10 says that he prayed prayers of thanksgiving! Can you imagine?! This is his situation, and he’s finding things to be thankful for even this day?! He’s been a captive in Babylon going on 70 years. He’s been hauled before at least 2 different kings and just about to lose his life. He’s gotten old and not gotten to go home. And he’s giving thanks.

Dare to be a Daniel and give thanks in every circumstance (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

I’d say that this probably qualifies as a miracle just as much as the one we’re going to see later in this chapter. Just an old believer who is faithfully praying, morning, noon, and night to his God and asking for help. And being willing, if he must, to die for it.

Notice, that he doesn’t draw attention to himself. He doesn’t send out a press release or post a big manifesto on social media. He just keeps on doing (v.10) as he had done before. A quiet “long obedience in the same direction.”

Which is just what his enemies wanted. Look at verse 11.

“Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. [That wasn’t hard! He was just where he always was. Doing what he always did. But they now had proof. Verse 12.] So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree [setting the trap]: ‘Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or man except to you, O king, would be thrown into the lions' den?’ The king answered, ‘The decree stands–in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.’ [And they snap the trap.]

Then they said to the king, ‘Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day’” (vv.11-13).

Notice their disdain for Daniel. Just like Belshazzar last week, they can’t help but point out that “he’s a Jew that was taken captive. He’s a foreigner in exile. He shouldn’t be in charge of us!”

They mean it as an insult. But Daniel owns who he is. He’s glad that nobody is calling him “Belteshazzar” anymore. He’s found from long experience that God is faithful and worthy of serving continually. Even if it means dying for it.

And it looks like that’s what’s going to happen. Nobody can stop it! Not even the king. Verse 14.

“When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.”

Darius must have really liked Daniel. He didn't see the trap coming, and he tried to work around it. Daniel was a his best guy. He'd hate to lose his best guy! But unless he made a new decree that counteracted this one and that could cause him to lose a lot of face, then there was no earthly hope. And his enemies made of sure of it. Verse 15.

“Then the men went as a group to the king and said to him, ‘Remember, O king, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.’

So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den. The king said to Daniel, ‘May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!’

A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel's situation might not be changed” (vv.15-17).

Isn’t fascinating that the king yells out to Daniel that encouragement before they close the opening with the stone? Daniel lived his life in such a way that his king could see that he served God continually. It was obvious from the way he lived his life that Daniel believed that God was alive and real and active and worthy! And so pagan King Darius hopes out loud that Daniel’s God would rescue him! Even as he sentences him to death.

They threw him in with the lions!

The guy is more than 80 years old. He might have died from the fall. They have this pit where they keep the lions. The lions were for sport. For entertainment and for punishment. It’s a gruesome way to die being tossed in there. And it sends a powerful message to anyone who was thinking about disobeying the king. And Daniel is tossed in with them and they seal up the opening with a stone and the king seals that with his signet ring. Nobody can let Daniel out until morning.

Daniel’s enemies must have been so happy! But Darius was so unhappy. Look at verse 18.

“Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.”

You feel the tension! And you feel something else, too. You feel kind of sorry for this king, right? He’s such a picture of helplessness. That’s intentional! This is the guy that everybody was supposed to pray to and through for a whole month? Somebody so weak and manipulable? He can’t even sleep? 

This is another prophetic knock on human kings. We should not put our trust in them! They are not worthy. But at least he cared about Daniel. Verse 19.

“At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions' den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?’

Daniel answered, ‘O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king.’

The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God” (vv.19-23).

He’s alive! Daniel is alive! 

And he doesn’t have any bites taken out of him. Just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t even have the smell of smoke on them when they came out of the fiery furnace. Daniel didn’t even have a scratch on him from the lion’s paw! Why? Because the living God sent His angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions.

Just the Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had the fourth figure in the furnace with them like a son of the gods, God sent His angel to be with Daniel that night. And the lions didn’t bite.

Wow! I guess there was a loophole in this Medo-Persian law after all. You had to throw the offender into the lion’s den, but the law didn’t say anything about him having to die in there!

But the lions were hungry. The king made sure they got fed. Verse 24.

“At the king's command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions' den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.”

Yes, the lions were hungry.

Daniel’s enemies were very sorry to have misjudged this situation. They didn’t believe that Daniel’s God was living or worthy of serving. And they paid for it with the retribution of the Medes and the Persians which showed no mercy even to their families.

And all of this impressed King Darius. Just like Nebuchadnezzar he wrote a public proclamation about the Lord. Look at verse 25.

“Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land: ‘May you prosper greatly! 

‘I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. ‘For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.’ So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian” (vv. 25-28).

You see how he calls Him, “the living God?” He did in verse 20 and again in verse 26. He sees that God lives! He’s not just a god of wood or stone or iron. He’s alive. And He’s alive forever. And He rules forever. That’s point #2 this morning.

#2. THE LIVING GOD RULES FOREVER!

Look again at verse 26.

“...[H]e endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.”

Does that sound familiar? That’s like the whole point of this whole book of Daniel. The Lord is the King of Kingdoms. He is sovereign over everything. He’s sovereign over the mouths of hungry lions. He’s sovereign over who is charge of things today. And who in charge of things tomorrow. He’s in charge of who lives and who dies. And who rules. Because He rules, and He rules forever.

“His kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.”

I don’t know about you, but I need to hear that and hear it again. Our world is so tumultuous. And we are so small and frail. There are so many “kings” and “things” that tyrannize us. We have so little control.

But we belong to the King of Kingdoms.

And He’s with us! He didn’t leave Daniel alone in the lion’s den. He sent His angel so that Daniel knew that He was not alone (6:22).

We belong to the King of Kingdoms.

Worthy of trusting.

Worthy of obeying.

Worthy of serving.

Worthy of dying for.

Worthy of living for!

Because He lives and rules forever more.

And more than that. He saves forevermore.

Number three and last.

#3. THE LIVING GOD RESCUES AND SAVES!

Darius could see it! Darius wondered if God could do it in verse 16 and verse 20. And then he knew that God could do it and proclaimed that God did it in verse 27.

“He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”

We know that God doesn’t always rescue and save His people from persecution and death. God could have kept Daniel from being discovered praying in the first place, and He didn’t. There may have been others who disobeyed this law and died for it. We don’t know. Probably nobody was paying attention to anyone else. This law was tailor-made to catch Daniel.

Regardless, many Christians were killed by lions and other ferocious beasts in Roman arenas in the first few centuries after King Jesus’s ministry. And there are Christians persecuted and dying for being Christians all over the world today. God has not promised to keep each one us from all earthly harm.

God did not spare His own Son. But instead He gave Him up for us all to...rescue and save us.

From a fate far worse than physical death. Eternal death.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16).

“He rescues, and He saves.”

I never noticed until this week the parallels between this story and Jesus’ story. Jesus was buried behind a stone that was sealed. He was delivered over to the domain of the dead. 

And then Mary going to the tomb early on Sunday morning. And Darius hurrying to the den early the next day.

And then Daniel coming out of the pit of death alive and unharmed. And Jesus coming out of the tomb alive once again! 

“He rescues, and He saves.”

Daniel’s rescue is also a picture of our rescue. Rescued from sin and saved forevermore.

Because of the living God.

***

Messages in This Series:

01. The King's Service - Daniel 1:1-21
02. The God of Heaven - Daniel 2:1-49
Bonus Message: "No Matter What" - Daniel 3:1-30 from Family Bible Week 2012
03. The God We Serve - Daniel 3:1-30
04. The King of Heaven - Daniel 4:1-37

05. The Lord of Heaven - Daniel 5:1-31

Read More

“The Lord of Heaven” [Matt's Messages]

“The Lord of Heaven”

The King of Kingdoms - The Book of Daniel

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

February 23, 2025 :: Daniel 5:1-31  

Daniel chapter 5 is about the Lord of Heaven.

I hope that I’m beginning to sound a bit like a broken record. Because each Sunday as we’ve delved into the Book of Daniel, I’ve been starting each message in the Aramaic section of the book by saying something like:

“Daniel chapter 2 is about about the God of Heaven."

"Daniel chapter 3 is about the God we serve."

"Daniel chapter 4 is about the King of Heaven.”

And that’s kind of obvious–the Book of Daniel is about God–but it’s also something that can be easily missed in these wild and wonderful stories!

Daniel chapter 5 is not primarily about Daniel. Though he does show up in this chapter. An old man, forgotten by many, but still faithful and providing us with a brilliant example. Dare to be a Daniel! But this chapter is not primarily about him.

And Daniel chapter 5 is not about Daniel’s friends. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah have probably all died by chapter 5. They escaped the flames of the fiery furnace in chapter 3, but they still died of at least natural causes at some point later. This chapter is not about them.

And Daniel chapter 5 is not about King Nebuchadnezzar. He is mentioned in this chapter. Daniel recounts the story we studied last Sunday from chapter 4 when Nebuchadnezzar was humbled before the King of Heaven and then restored by the King of Heaven. Nebuchadnezzar’s disturbing tree dream came true, and he learned that humility is sanity. Pride is insanity, and humility is sanity.

But this chapter is not about King Nebuchadnezzar. In this chapter, King Nebuchadnezzar is dead. He’s been dead now for a couple of decades!

As powerful as Nebuchadnezzar was and as long as he reigned (more than 40 years) he still died, and his kingdom has changed hands. In fact, it’s changed hands like 3 times since the last chapter. And it’s now in the hands of a man named “Belshazzar” in this chapter.

And Belshazzar thinks that this story is all about him.

Church, is this story all about King Belshazzar?

No. This story is all about the Most High God whom Daniel calls in verse  23, “The Lord of Heaven,” which is, interestingly, the only time that particular title is given to God in the whole Bible. 

A few places, He’s called, “The Lord of Heaven and Earth,” but this is the only one that’s just “The Lord of Heaven.” And we would do well to remember it.

 

This story (and the story we are all living in) is all about the Lord of Heaven. Let’s see what we learn about Him as we study it together.

Daniel chapter 5 tells the story of a great party that was a complete disaster. Listen to verse 1.

“King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.”

Wow! That’s a big party!

One thousand guests at the party. Every single one of them being fed by the king and provided with wine from the king. That’s like six times as many people are in this room right here. Can you imagine?!

Some archeological excavations of Babylon have uncovered massive halls where feasts like this could have been held. And King Belshazzar is living it up with 1,000 of his closest friends.

Now, we don’t know that much about King Belshazzar from historical sources outside of the Bible. In fact, for many years, we didn’t know anything about him from outside of this chapter! But a little bit over a century ago, there were some major historical discoveries that verified his identity and confirmed the Bible’s reliability.

One thing that was confusing to many was that historical records show that the official High King of Babylon at this time was a man named “Nabonidus.” And King Nabonidus had probably been married “Nitocris” the daughter of King Nebuchadnezzar. So he would be his son-in-law.

But historical records also tell us that King Nabonidus was not living in Babylon at this time. He was still the High King of Babylon, but for a bunch of reasons Nabonidus was living in what we call “Saudia Arabia” at the time, and he had left his son in charge of Babylon itself.

Guess what his son’s name turned out to be? Belshazzar! So King Belshazzar is like the number two king in the Babylonian kingdom, but he is reigning in and over the city of Babylon itself. And he’s throwing a massive party.

But, before you get too impressed, you need to know something else.

You need to know that Babylon is under siege. They have ruled the world for decades, but there is another kingdom on the ascendancy. It’s a double-kingdom with two major peoples in it that have teamed up to take over the world. Does anybody know what that kingdom is? It’s the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians.

And their high king is named Cyrus. And Cyrus has been chipping away at the kingdom of Babylon for a few years now, and he’s now sent an army to attack the city of Babylon.

The date of this party is October 12, 539 BC. Isn’t that amazing that we know the actual date of the feast?

Now, why was King Belshazzar throwing a party when the Medes and the Persians were outside the city walls? We don’t know, but we can make some guesses.

One guess is that Belshazzar just liked to party. And nothing was going to stop him. He might have felt pretty safe behind the walls of Babylon. Remember last week, we learned how big and thick they were? Maybe he thought his city was impregnable.

And maybe this was a pep rally! Maybe they were living it up tonight because tomorrow they were planning to run out there and bust some heads.

Or maybe Belshazzar was having this party because he was secretly scared. He was trying to put a good face on it in front of his guests. Whistling through the graveyard. Getting drunk because he’s on edge.

We don’t know.  What we do know is that he thought that everything was all about him, and he decided to dishonor the Lord of heaven.

Look at this shocking thing he does at this party in verse 2.

“Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone “vv.2-4).

Do you see how shocking this is? How arrogant and blasphemous and aggressive and transgressive this is?

Do you remember these gold and silver vessels from chapter 1?

I know it’s been over a month since we were in chapter 1. Do you remember what happened? Remember that God of Judah gave the King of Judah to the King of Babylon. The reason why Nebuchadnezzar could defeat Jehoiakim of Judah was because the LORD allowed him to. And the LORD also allowed Nebuchadnezzar to cart off Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to Babylon in 605 BC. And at that time, He also allowed him to take these supposed-to-be-holy golden and silver vessels that belonged in the temple of the LORD to the temple of Marduk. And that’s bad enough.

But 66 years later, Belshazzar says, “Hey! I know what we should do. We should raid the temple of Marduk (“Bel” for whom I’m named) and bring in the gold and silver cups that belonged to Yahweh and drink from them ourselves! Not the priests. Us!”

“What do you say, guys?”

“Bring Yahweh’s cups!”

“Bring Yahweh’s cups!”

“Bring Yahweh’s cups!”

And as they are downing their drinks, they are praising (v.4), “the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.”

“The gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.”

“The gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.”

“The gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.”

Those gods aren’t even real! They are lifeless and empty and powerless. This is insanity! This is idolatry, and it is insanity. And the LORD will not have it. Look at verse 5.

“Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together” (vv.5-6).

How scary!

How spooky!

How funny!

How strange!

You and I are supposed to be amazed at this. This is not normal. As far as I know, this is the only time God has ever done this. 

He sends a hand! Not a whole a body. Just a hand. This isn’t a dream, this time. Everybody there can see the hand, especially the king. And everybody there can see the writing on the wall.

Some archeological excavations of Babylon have even found plaster walls like this one described here. None with this message on it! But plaster walls nonetheless.

This hand appears and writes on the wall, and it scares the living daylights out of the king!

Yes, you’re supposed to laugh. 

“The king's color changed.” Did he turn blue? Did he turn all white?

“...and his thoughts alarmed him...” I’ll bet they did! 

“...his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together.”

I’m not sure exactly what that means in the Aramaic. It might mean that he couldn’t stand. He was shaking so much. It might actually mean that he lost control of his bodily functions.

This king is frightened. And rightly so.

And he starts shouting. Calling for help. He calls in the current top team of magi. Verse 7.

“The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, ‘Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.’”

Notice that he says “the third ruler?” That’s probably because he was actually the number two ruler under Nabonidus. So “third ruler” is the best he could offer. Belshazzar is willing to give up just about everything to find out what the writing on the wall means. He’ll give them the royal treatment. Purple and gold and king number three in Babylon. “Just tell me what it means!”

And what do you think the wisemen can tell him about the writing on the wall? What have we come to expect from the wisdom of the world? Not very much, I’m afraid. Verse 8.

“Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed” (vv.8-9). Kind of put a damper on this party.

And then in walks the queen. Verse 10.

“The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, ‘O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father–your father the king–made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation’ (vv.10-12).

We don’t know which queen this is. Daniel doesn’t name her. It’s probably not Belshazzar’s wife. Not any of Belshazzar’s wives. Verse 3 says that he had many, but they were all there drinking with him from Yahweh’s cups. This queen came in after the writing was on the wall.

Could be his mother. This word “queen” can also mean “queen mother.” Just like the word “father” can mean grandfather or “predecessor.” And it could be his grand-mother. This might have been a wife of King Nebuchadnezzar. She might remember Daniel. She remembers Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams. The dreams of chapter 2 and chapter 4.

Remember the dream in chapter 2 of that statue with several different metals to it? What metal was the head? Gold. What metal was the chest and arms? Silver. What metal was the belly and thighs? Bronze? What metal was the legs? Iron. And the feet were iron and clay.

Each level was less valuable but maybe more dangerous. And none of the levels were forever. One day the whole statue was going to be knocked down by a rock thrown from God which blasts the statue to dust, and then the rock would grow and grow and grow into a mountain that fills the earth. 

And each metal level was a successive kingdom. What kingdom was the head of gold? It was Nebuchadnezzar and the kingdom of Babylon. And this queen remembers it all.

Nobody would know what that dream meant if it wasn’t for Daniel.

So the queen says, “Get Daniel in here if you know what’s good for you. Only he can help you.” So the king calls for Daniel. Verse 13.

“Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, ‘You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.

Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom’ (vv.13-17).

I don’t think that Belshazzar was happy to see Daniel. Notice how he talks down to him? He doesn’t call him “Belteshazzar” maybe because it’s too close to his own name, but maybe because he wants to emphasize Daniel’s Jewishness. And his kingly power over Daniel.

“You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah. One of my servants. One of the hostages that my granddaddy Nebuchadnezzar brought from Judah. (I’m better than you. I rule over you.) Just a few minutes ago, I was drinking from one of the golden cups from your old temple. Are we clear on who is who here? Well, I have little problem. It’s got me a little worried. And I hear that maybe you can help. And even though you are just a little old Jewish man that we’ve all forgotten, if you can help me, I will make you the third most powerful man in the whole kingdom of Babylon. Would you like that?”

And there stands Daniel. How old is Daniel in 539 BC? He was stolen from Judah in 605. He’s been living in Babylon now for 66 years. He’s what, 80 years old? 81?

And he’s been forgotten, but he has not forgotten His God!

Dare to be a Daniel and be faithful for 66 years in Babylon!

Dare to be a Daniel and take insult and disrespect for 66 years and stay faithful to your God no matter what.

Dare to be a Daniel and speak the truth to power.

Dare to be a Daniel and remember that your story is not about you, but about the Lord of Heaven!

Listen to what Daniel says in verse 17.

“Then Daniel answered and said before the king, ‘Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation.”

Daniel is no-nonsense here. He’s not in it for the money. And he’s not as courteous as he was when he was a young man before Nebuchadnezzar. As prideful and dangerous as Nebuchadnezzar was, he wasn’t as foolish and arrogant this Belshazzar has been. And Belshazzar should have learned from the lessons of his grandfather. Daniel gives it to him straight. Verse 18.

“O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. [There’s that word “gave” we heard last week.] And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. [He was the king of kings in his day.] But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him.

[This is the story that Nebuchadnezzar told us last week in chapter 4.]

He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will” (vv.18-21).

I have three points this morning of things we learn about the Lord of Heaven in this chapter, and here is number one. And it’s the whole point of the whole book:

#1. THE LORD OF HEAVEN RULES US.

He rules us. 

That’s what Nebuchadnezzar had to learn the hard way last week. Right?  #HeavenRules 

God is God, and we are not. Even if you are the most powerful person in the world, that power comes from God. And it can and will be taken away by God. Our God rules. He is the King of Kingdoms.

And we all agree with that, but we all lose sight of it. And we all start to think of ourselves as something much more. And we begin to value other things above Him, too.

We begin to worship other “gods.” The Babylonians worshiped “the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone” (v.4). And we worship the gods of sex, money, popularity, nation, sports, and family. And we let them rule us.

Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way that it’s the Lord of Heaven that rules.

His is the kingdom that is the rock cut out “not with human hands,” and His is the kingdom that will grow to fill the earth. He is King Forevermore! 

And you and I can take great comfort in that. The original Jewish readers of the Book of Daniel were so comforted by this book. Because the enemies of God were all losers. No matter how powerful they seemed, God kept showing how weak they really were. Even by writing these words on the wall. 

The Lord of Heaven rules us. He is in charge. He is sovereign. He is in control. His throne does not budge (Psalm 93). I don’t know about you, but I need to hear that every single day. Because when I lose sight of that, I live in fear and worry and anxiety. And at the very same time my head gets too big. And I forget why I’m here and Who’s story I’m living in.

And that’s what Belshazzar had done. That’s what Daniel tells him in verse 22.

“And you his son [Nebuchadnezzar’s successor], Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored” (vv.22-23).

 

I don’t know what are the most haunting words in this chapter, but I think that verse 22 is in the running with the words, “though you knew all this...”

Belshazzar knew better. He should have read Daniel chapter 4.  He should have memorized Nebuchadnezzar’s testimony in Daniel chapter 4. He was aware. He was warned. He should know this story. He should have been the most humble man on the planet. Belshazzar had no excuse. He foolishly disregarded the truth. But he ignored it all and did not humble his heart. Instead, he (v.23, also haunting words), “lifted up [himself] against the Lord of heaven.”

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

You know what Belshazzar did? He “counted Yahweh out.” He just decided that the Lord didn’t matter. He wasn’t worth honoring. [I can’t remember which of the excellent commentaries gave me that “counted out” idea and phrase.]

That’s a scary (but easy) thing to do. And it’s so insane! Because the Lord rules everything, and holds everything in His hand!

That’s point number two.

#2. THE LORD OF HEAVEN HOLDS US.

Do you see that language in verse 23?

“And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.”

Your breath right now? It’s in the Lord’s hands. He holds your breath.  The very hand maybe that wrote those words on the wall? Holds your breath. If He lets it go, there goes your breath. Our lives are in His hands. 

How do we forget that? We know this! He holds us. And because we know this, we should humble ourselves and honor Him.

Did you do a little “kingdom inventory” like we talked about last week? Think up all the little domains that you have some authority in? Some of us have very little and some of us have (for a time) quite a lot.

Did you do a “kingdom audit” where you thought about your little kingdoms and how you are ruling them? If you are being kind and caring for the people in your domain?

Are you serving them or using them?

Are you living in pride or in humility?

And are you honoring the Lord above all?

Because our very breath is in His hands.

And we will have to give an account for everything we did with everything He’s given us. Including every breath.

That’s our last point. Point number three.

#3. THE LORD OF HEAVEN WEIGHS US.

Belshazzar has mocked God, and God will not be mocked. So Daniel says (v.24), “Then from his presence [from the presence of the God you have not honored...] the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed.  And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN.”

This is what it looks like in Aramaic.

You can see how this would be difficult for anyone to understand that doesn’t have an inside track with the Lord.

But Daniel does know what it means.

The hand wrote four words. The first two are the same word repeated, probably for emphasis.

MENE, MENE. With one set of vowels, that spells the Aramaic word for “mina” a heavy weight which is worth a good bit of money.

TEKEL, with one set of vowels spells the Aramaic word for “shekel,” another weight which is less than a mina.

And then PARSIN with one set of vowels spells the Aramaic word for “half” or “half shekel,” an even smaller weight worth the least of these.

They are all weight words. There might not have been any vowels up on the wall. 

But Daniel, with his prophetic gift, says that these words should be considered verbs. With a another set of vowels, they all sound like Aramaic words that are verbs.

MENE looks and sound like the Aramaic verb for “Numbered” or “Counted.”

“Numbered, Numbered!”

TEKEL looks and sounds like the Aramaic verb for “Weighed.”

“Numbered, Weighed.”

And PARSIN looks and sounds like the Aramaic verb for “Divided.”

And if your version has an U before “Parsin,” that’s just the word for “and” tacked on it. 

So “Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, and Divided.”

“Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, and Divided.”

That’s what Daniel sees on the wall. And that’s what he explains to the king. Verse 26.

“This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.’”

What a moment that must have been!

This was not a warning. This was not like Nebuchadnezzar’s tree dream. This was simply a judgment. And it was given to Belshazzar in public so that the people of God could see that God was bringing the judgment.

What was going to happen was not random chance or even “fate.” It was God’s judgment and the fulfillment of God’s Word.

“Hey, King! MENE MENE.

You counted me out? I’ve counted you out.

‘God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.’

Hey, King! ‘TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting.’

I’ve put you up on a balances, and you don’t have enough weight. You devalued me when you got out my gold cups and drank from them while praising your gods. I now devalue you.

Hey, King! ‘PERES.’ That’s the singular of ‘PARSIN’ so it’s double meaning. It not only means ‘divided,’ but it sounds like the word for ‘Persian.’

Belshazzar, ‘your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.’ It’s broken in two and given to the double-kingdom.”

The silver kingdom, right? From the statue dream in chapter 2? The prophecy of chapter 2 is starting to be fulfilled in chapter 5! The head of gold is no more.

This party is over.

And that’s exactly what happened. Not one day, but that day. Belshazzar was the last king of Babylon. And this was the last day of the kingdom of Babylon. Look at verse 29.

“Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old” )vv.29-31(.

Boom. No wonder Daniel didn’t care about the king’s royal robe and chain! He only got to wear it one night. That very night, October 12, 539 BC, the forces of the Medes and the Persians re-directed the waters of the Euphrates that flowed into the the city and they came in through the water gates (according to Herodotus).

And there was no real battle! There was no real resistance. Maybe everybody was too drunk. And they killed Belshazzar. His days were numbered, and his number was up.

What do we learn from this?

We learn that the Lord of Heaven weighs us. There is a judgment coming. And we need to live our lives now accordingly. We need to humble ourselves and honor the Lord of heaven not raise ourselves up against Him. We need to learn from the stories of others like King Nebuchadnezzar. “If we will not humble ourselves, the Lord will do it for us.” Humility is sanity. We need resist the allure and idiocy of idolatry.  We need to live our lives now as ones who will give an account to the Lord of Heaven. Because He weighs us.

And that should put a healthy fear in us. We should not just do whatever we feel like, but instead live to please our Lord.

But let me give you some good news in case that really scares you:

King Jesus was also weighed in the balances, and was NOT found wanting. King Jesus not only humbled Himself like we talked about last week, but He was judged by the Lord of Heaven as worthy of being brought back from the dead. He took on Himself all of our failures. All of our sins and errors. All the of the times when we have lifted ourselves up. And or all who repent and put their faith in Him, we get His perfect track record.

Belshazzar would never do that. He was too proud and full of himself to repent. But you and I can repent right now and be found in Christ.

The writing was on the wall for Jesus because He took on our sin, but that was not the end. Three days later, King Jesus came walking out of the tomb!

And “He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” )Dan. 7:14(.

He is the King of Kingdoms and the Lord of Heaven.

And this story is all about Him.

***

Messages in This Series:

01. The King's Service - Daniel 1:1-21
02. The God of Heaven - Daniel 2:1-49
Bonus Message: "No Matter What" - Daniel 3:1-30 from Family Bible Week 2012
03. The God We Serve - Daniel 3:1-30
04. The King of Heaven - Daniel 4:1-37

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