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.
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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
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