On the Right Side of Eternal History

[0:01] Let's turn this morning to God's Word and we are in the book of Daniel this morning and Daniel chapter 7. So I'll give you a moment to turn that up.

[0:14] If you go to the middle of your Bible and turn right, you'll come to us after Ezekiel. So Daniel chapter 7. Now we looked at Daniel 1 to 6 some time ago.

[0:25] I'll be impressed if you can remember. Maybe it was pre-COVID. But we looked at Daniel 1 to 6 some time ago. And so we're launching in the middle here. And Daniel charts 1 to 6.

[0:37] It covers Daniel and some of his friends who are exiles from the land of Israel. They've been taken to Babylon. And Daniel 1 to 6, writ large across Daniel 1 to 6, is the fact that God is sovereign.

[0:54] God reigns. And the implication of that is for God's people living in a foreign land in exile, is to remain faithful. And some great stories that you'll know there in Daniel 1 to 6.

[1:06] But we're turning now to chapter 7. And as we turn to chapter 7, you'll notice that the sort of literature we're dealing with is a bit different. We are turning to what is called apocalyptic literature.

[1:19] Now don't be scared off by that. Apocalyptic literally means revelation. It reveals things. And just a few pointers as we come to read chapter 7.

[1:33] A general approach to apocalyptic literature. What we read here is all about visual impression. You'll notice as we read that it's all about what Daniel sees. I looked.

[1:43] I saw. And the whole purpose is to give a general visual impression. And so I'd encourage us not to focus on the individual trees that we come across.

[1:55] Don't miss the wood. There's a temptation with apocalyptic literature to get lost in the woods and be looking at the individual trees. But I encourage you all to do that.

[2:05] We're going to step back and see what's the general impression we're being given here. Because it's all about general symbols, not about secret revelations. People have all sorts of strange interpretations of different bits of apocalyptic literature.

[2:20] And you can get lost down rabbit holes. So we're going to try and step back and see the general approach here. And the other thing to say is that apocalyptic literature has present fulfillment for those who it's written to.

[2:34] But also future implications. So it's not just about Daniel's day and what's happening in his day. It echoes down through the ages. So let's read Daniel 7 and beginning at verse 1.

[2:51] In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon. So this is taking place between Daniel chapter 4 and Daniel chapter 5.

[3:02] So we're kind of going back in terms of time here. So this is the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon. Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed.

[3:13] Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. Daniel declared, I saw in my vision by night and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

[3:26] And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagle's wings. Then as I looked, its wings were plucked off and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man.

[3:43] And the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one like a bear. It was raised up on one side, had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth.

[3:54] And it was told, arise, devour much flesh. After this, I looked and behold, another like a leopard with four wings of a bird on its back.

[4:05] And the beast had four heads and dominion was given to it. After this, I saw in the night visions and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong.

[4:20] It had great iron teeth. It devoured and broken pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it and had ten horns.

[4:32] I considered the horns. And behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things.

[4:47] As I looked, thrones were placed. And the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was white as snow and the hair of his head like pure wool.

[5:02] His throne was fiery flames. Its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him. And thousand thousand served him. And ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.

[5:14] The court sat in judgment. And the books were opened. I looked to them because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking.

[5:26] And as I looked, the beast was killed. And its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away.

[5:38] But their lives were prolonged for a season at a time. I saw in the night visions. And behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man.

[5:50] And he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away.

[6:05] And his kingdom, one that shall not be destroyed. As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious.

[6:18] And the visions of my head alarmed me. I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things.

[6:31] These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.

[6:46] Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest. Exceedingly terrifying with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet.

[6:59] And about the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell. The horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things and that seemed greater than its companions.

[7:13] As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them until the ancient of days came and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High.

[7:26] And the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom. Thus he said, He shall speak words against the Most High and shall wear out the saints of the Most High and shall think to change the times and the law.

[8:10] And they shall be given into his hand for a time, times and half a time. But the court shall sit in judgment. And his dominion shall be taken away to be consumed and destroyed to the end.

[8:25] And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High. Their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom.

[8:38] And all dominions shall serve and obey them. Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me.

[8:51] And my color changed. But I kept the matter in my heart. Amen. May God bless his word to us this morning.

[9:02] Good. Well, please do have Daniel 7 open in front of you as we spend a few moments thinking about this chapter together.

[9:13] Now, it can be tempting and really rather easy at times to want to hide ourselves away from the realities of our worlds.

[9:27] To hunker down and enjoy the quietness of our daily lives. To retreat to our homes. To effectively stick our heads in the sand. We don't like to deal with too much reality.

[9:41] And it's easy, isn't it, to surround ourselves with entertainment. Put on Netflix, whatever it is. But consider the past century or so of human history. And there are many difficult realities to come to terms with.

[9:55] Think of the tens of millions killed during World War I. The unnumbered millions killed under the brutal rule of Joseph Stalin.

[10:06] It's hard to know how many actually died. Up to 60 million killed during World War II. Including 6 million Jews put to death in the concentration camps.

[10:19] It's not just the past though, is it? Our daily lives are surrounded by difficult realities. The tens of millions globally killed in the womb.

[10:30] And then there's suffering. Many Christians suffering at this very moment because of their faith today. In fear of their lives because of their faith.

[10:42] And there's rising opposition we face in Scotland today. On a whole range of ethical issues. It's hard, isn't it, to face these realities. We don't much like facing up to what the world is really like.

[10:55] And the story of human history, it is a scary one, isn't it? What are we to make of it as Christians? What do we make of our world?

[11:10] As we see Putin flexing his muscles there on the Ukrainian border. How do you feel as you step back and look at the last century?

[11:20] We don't need to go any further than that. How do you feel when you consider the sweep of history in the past and where it might go next? Frightened? Anxious?

[11:33] Well, I imagine most of us feel like that from time to time. But we're not alone, are we? Daniel 7 recounts a terrible vision of human history that was given to Daniel. It is massive in its scope.

[11:45] It covers all of human history in this chapter. And notice how it leaves Daniel feeling. Look at his reaction to what he's seen. Look at verse 15. As for me, Daniel, my spirit was anxious.

[12:02] And the visions of my head alarmed me. Look at verse 28. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me. My color changed.

[12:13] But I kept the matter in my heart. Daniel's reaction is not surprising, is it? Given the visions he's seen and which we read earlier, it's hardly surprising the color drained from his face.

[12:26] But it's not as if Daniel was some sort of pushover. This is the Daniel who spoke truth to power. A senior figure in the Babylonian civil service for many decades.

[12:39] Daniel was no pushover. Daniel was no pushover. And yet, even he was shocked and alarmed by what he read here, what he saw.

[12:54] And we should also be shocked as we read these words, as we read this vision that Daniel was given. They should alarm us because of what it reveals to us about human history.

[13:06] This isn't abstract information about the past. This is enduringly relevant for us, as we'll see. But this chapter, as well as dealing with the reality of history, dealing with the realities we can see around us, it also helps us to see the history behind the history.

[13:26] It's as if the curtain's being lifted, and we're seeing in behind the visible to the unseen realities. We are shown here where eternal history is headed.

[13:38] And rather than cause us to panic, this chapter will give us the basis for steadfast poise in the face of difficult times.

[13:48] Getting to grips with this chapter will bring sanity, it will bring balance, it will bring real hope for the future.

[14:00] Because Daniel 7 shows us who is really on the throne, and whose kingdom really will endure forever. Now, having been given six chapters in Daniel of narrative in which the conflict between God's people and the world has unfolded, we're now taken behind the scenes to see what it is that makes life so difficult for Daniel and for Christians in all ages.

[14:26] There is a deeper conflict, and we're being shown what's going on. And in order to communicate the immensity of the ebbs and flows of human history, we have here what is described, as I mentioned earlier, as apocalyptic literature.

[14:43] It is fantastic in its vision. It's full of colorful imagery. And at first glance, even second or third glance, it's pretty baffling, isn't it?

[14:56] You can get lost in the detail. What on earth does this mean? But let me share with you Dale Ralph Davis' definition of this sort of writing. What is apocalyptic literature for?

[15:06] What is it about? Well, he says the apocalyptic literature is the sort of prophecy that seeks to enlighten and encourage a people despised and cast off by the world with a vision of the God who will come to impose his kingdom on the wreckage of human history and rebellion.

[15:27] And it communicates this message through the use of wild, scary, imaginative, bizarre, and head-scratching imagery. Do you see what it's for?

[15:39] He says it's for God's people to be enlightened and encouraged with a massive vision of who God is. And that's what we have in Daniel 7.

[15:50] This is a massive vision of who God is, and it's here to encourage us and to enlighten us. So let's look more closely at this chapter. We're going to look at it in three stages.

[16:01] The first is verses 1 to 8. So verses 1 to 8. And we see here the sober and the terrible reality of evil empires in this world.

[16:13] The sober and terrible reality of evil empires in this world. That's the first thing we've been shown here. We are being faced with the reality of monstrous kings, evil kings who will oppose God and his people in Daniel's day, but also in ours.

[16:33] Now this vision is given to Daniel. Look with me at verse 1. It's given during the first year of King Belshazzar. Now if you think about the period of time that's covered in the first half of Daniel, this vision occurs somewhere between chapters 4 and 5.

[16:50] So chapter 4 is under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. And chapter 5 deals with the end of Belshazzar's reign. So this vision comes in the first year of Belshazzar's reign.

[17:02] And at that juncture, Daniel finds himself in a new and uncertain world. After all the drama and encouragements of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, remember he goes from being a dictator to a disciple.

[17:17] There's a wonderful conversion of Nebuchadnezzar. King Belshazzar was a totally different prospect. These would not be good days for God's people in Babylon.

[17:30] And Daniel's vision gives a serious dose of reality. It depicts these four terrible monsters. Four great beasts which arise out of the sea.

[17:44] Which has been stirred up by the four winds of heaven there in verse 2. And this repetition of the number 4, it communicates something of the idea of completeness.

[17:59] Frequently in the Bible, the number 4 symbolizes completeness. And so whilst this vision is fulfilled in the short term, as we'll see, it speaks of a recurring reality.

[18:11] This is how human history goes. And the vision is terrifying. The first monster is like a lion with eagle's wings. The second is like a bear, verse 5.

[18:25] And it's been told to devour much flesh. The third is like a leopard with four wings and four heads. And dominion was given to it. And then finally, the most terrifying of all, the fourth beast.

[18:40] Verse 7. It was terrifying, dreadful, and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth. It devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet.

[18:51] It was different from all the other beasts that were before it. It had ten horns. I considered the horns. And behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots.

[19:07] And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth, speaking great things. But what are we to make of that? What does this all mean?

[19:19] Well, we are given a steer in the second half of the chapter. Look down at verse 15 with me where we get the interpretation of this astonishing vision.

[19:31] Daniel is baffled. And so you see there he approached one of those who stood there. And he asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things.

[19:44] These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. Daniel is being shown four kingdoms, much like the four kingdoms you see in Daniel chapter 2 with Nebuchadnezzar's dream.

[20:02] And it's broadly understood that these four beasts refer to, firstly, the lion as Babylon. Second, the bear as the Medes and Persians.

[20:15] So they're the empire that came in, as you'll see in Daniel 5. They come and destroy the Babylonians. The third is the leopard. That's the Greek kingdom. And finally, the fourth beast stretches from Rome and beyond.

[20:31] And given what we see in the vision further on, this final beast and the horns that arise from it, they will endure until the day that Christ returns.

[20:44] This is stretching out beyond immediate history. This is stretching out beyond until the end of time. And this final beast is unlike all the others.

[20:55] Different in its viciousness. Different in scope. The vision is communicating that this final beast is nothing. It's like nothing that's been seen before.

[21:07] It's perhaps the last human kingdom. The one in which human evil and rebellion will reach its apex. Now this beastly vision, it is meant to have a dramatic effect on us.

[21:23] We are to be troubled by what we read here in these words. We ought to be scared and troubled by what we read here because this is not just describing ancient history.

[21:35] But it's describing history that we live in and that we experience. This is what the world is like. The world is marked by cruel and terrible kings and kingdoms.

[21:50] See, Daniel 7 is teaching us not to be naive about the world, but rather to be realistic. On the whole, nations are out for conflict and conquest and control.

[22:07] Just look at human history. That is the case. Look at the world today. Look at China and Russia. The simmering tensions in Ukraine. Just look at the Western world.

[22:18] And the huge control that's exerted over its citizens in the past couple of years. Just look at Canada and New Zealand today. See, empires are bent to dominate and devour.

[22:31] No matter how many people they might mangle or how much misery they may inflict, says one writer. That is what empires are like. That is what empires are like. And so Daniel 7 is saying, do not be naive about that.

[22:44] We have to face up to the reality of the world that we live in. History is beastly. And that is not a pleasant reality to come to terms with, is it?

[22:55] But we do need to come to terms with it. Hard and uncomfortable as that might be. But despite the grim reality of these first few verses, there is a greater reality we draw great comfort from as we look on to verses 9 to 14.

[23:14] And this is the second thing. We've seen the grim reality of the evil empires of the world. But secondly, there is a certain victory of God's eternal kingdom. That's what we see in the middle of this chapter.

[23:27] There's a very marked change of tone as we move from verse 8 to verse 9. We move from the terrible vision of these beasts arriving out of the sea.

[23:41] We move from that to the quiet and the stillness of the courtroom. And the events that we read of here in verses 9 to 14 are massive in scope.

[23:54] This is the epicenter of the chapter, but it's the epicenter of the book of Daniel. It's the epicenter of all of human history. What we see here in these verses is not just the hinge of the book of Daniel.

[24:06] It's the hinge of human history. Because these events are not just small in scale. They are massive. This is the very central event in all of human history. It's telling us that the victory of God's kingdom is certain.

[24:21] And that it will endure forever. It tells us of a certain judgment and a certain victory for God and his people. Let's look at the detail.

[24:34] It comes in three sections. The first there is verses 9 and 10. Which deals with this figure, the Ancient of Days. Second, verses 11 and 12.

[24:45] We see what comes of the little beast. The little horn that we read about in verse 8. The little horn that seems so terrifying. We see what happens to that in verses 11 and 12.

[24:58] And then 13 and 14. There is one like the Son of Man. And in brief, these verses tell us about the Ancient of Days establishing his everlasting kingdom.

[25:13] And crowning his son as the king following the destruction of the beasts. And it's a kingdom that all of God's saints will inherit.

[25:24] That's what's happening in these few verses. The little horn that seems so terrifying in verse 8. The one that struck fear into Daniel's heart.

[25:37] Well, that little horn is put in his place in this section. The little horn is powerless. As it finds itself trapped in a vice between the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man.

[25:50] We are shown here where the real power in this universe resides. And it's not in the little horn that seems so powerful.

[26:04] Impressive as his words might seem. That is not where the power resides. The kings and presidents of this world which seem so powerful do not ultimately call the shots.

[26:20] The little horn here is powerless in the face of the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man. So what happens here? Well, the Ancient of Days takes his seat in the heavenly courtroom.

[26:35] Verses 9 to 11. He is clothed in white. Surrounded by fire. His throne is a fiery flame. Its wheels are burning fire.

[26:46] Fire is literally streaming from the throne. And this image of white and fire conveys the purity and the judgment of God. The Ancient of Days is God the Father.

[26:59] He is the one in control. And he is calm in executing justice. There is no panic here. The books are opened and judgment falls.

[27:17] As one writer put it, human kingdoms are always caught up in feverish activity. But the Ancient of Days was seated. He is never taken by surprise.

[27:30] Never undecided. Never in a panic about the world. Ultimate authority resides with him. The peace and stillness of the courtroom.

[27:42] The Ancient of Days sits and passes judgment. And the little horn, the beast, he's destroyed.

[27:57] Verses 11 to 12. Halfway through 11. As I looked, says Daniel, the beast, the beast was killed. Its body destroyed. And given over to be burned with fire.

[28:10] As for the rest of the beast, their dominion was taken away. And their dominion is given to another. Verses 13 to 14.

[28:21] The one, like a son of man. Just listen to these words. Verse 13. I saw in the night visions. And behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man.

[28:35] And he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom. That all peoples and nations and languages should serve him.

[28:50] His dominion is an everlasting dominion. Which shall not pass away. His kingdom is one that shall not be destroyed. And this description of the son of man is one that Jesus himself identifies to himself in Mark 14.

[29:12] He's questioned by the high priest. He says, are you the Christ, the son of the blessed? And Jesus said, I am. You will see the son of man seated at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven.

[29:26] And so the event here in Daniel 7. It is describing for us the son of man, Jesus, coming to the Ancient of Days and being presented to him in the heavenly courtroom.

[29:40] This is the scene of Jesus coming to the right hand of the Father following his resurrection and his ascension. This is the beginning, the beginning, the beginning, the beginning, the beginning, the eternal kingdom of God.

[30:01] This is the defining moment in all of history. The glorious ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, having defeated death and risen again. See, Daniel is seeing here.

[30:14] He is seeing the events in the heavenly throne room after that very first Easter. Christ had been crucified, risen and ascended. This is what he sees.

[30:25] Christ returning and being presented to the Father. And all this Daniel's seeing, hundreds of years before it took place, and what he looks forward to here, we can look back on.

[30:40] Jesus has now risen and ascended. The kingdom has been inaugurated. And so we await the return of the king. But notice what we are told about Jesus' kingdom.

[30:57] Even though we don't yet experience the full reality. Notice what it says. Jesus has been given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him.

[31:12] This is not just talking about the restoration of the people of Israel after exile. No, it's global, isn't it? It says all people, all nations, the realm of this kingdom is global.

[31:28] And his kingdom, his rule is everlasting. It shall not pass away. It shall not be destroyed. See, unlike the kingdoms of this world, unlike the beastly kings of human history, Jesus' kingdom, it will not crumble.

[31:48] It will endure forever. And this is a reality as real as the existence of the evil kings and empires of this world.

[32:01] This is, at the moment, an unseen reality. There is a king reigning in heaven at this very moment. And he is in charge of where everything is going.

[32:16] The destiny of all humankind is in his hands. So we're being given a glimpse here. Behind the reality we can see to the one we can't see. To the one who's in the heavenly throne and right now reigning.

[32:30] He'll come again in judgment. And Ralph Davis says that seeing this secret behind history, it may not keep God's people from pain, but it should keep them from panic.

[32:47] We may still be fearful, but we should not be frantic. Because we know who is really on the throne. And we know where we are headed for eternity.

[32:57] See, having this vision of Jesus and his certain victory, it will give you and I, it will give us poise, won't it?

[33:09] Poise in the face of the realities of this world. And we ought to have a certain calmness, a steadiness, because we do have a vision for the future.

[33:24] We have been told here how it's going to work out. We know where history is really going. And so we can live lives of calmness in the face of uncertainty.

[33:36] We can live lives of purpose and meaning because we know where we're going. There is a future. And that was certainly the impact on Daniel. Think about all that he would face.

[33:47] Remember this comes at the start of Belshazzar's reign. The events of Daniel 5 and 6 are yet to happen. He was yet to face the last days of Belshazzar's reign.

[34:00] He was yet to face the end of the Babylonian Empire and the Medes and Persian Empire sweeping in. He was yet to face the lion's den. But knowing what was really at the epicenter of human history, to know who was really on the throne, that enabled Daniel to live faithfully in those difficult days.

[34:23] It was this vision that enabled Daniel to live faithfully in the face of the lion's den. And for us to know these things, to have the vision of Daniel 7 clear in our minds, it will also enable us to stand as he did.

[34:41] If you're a Christian here this morning, then you shall receive the kingdom. You will possess the kingdom forever and ever and ever. You know where history is going. It's absolutely certain.

[34:56] And that ought to be a great encouragement to us. In the face of the kings and the empires of this world, which, as we look back in history, are cruel and beastly, in the face of that, we know where we're going.

[35:10] The events of Daniel 7, the heavenly throne room, that's happened. Jesus is on the throne at this very moment. And we must have that clear in our minds because of the last thing we see in this chapter.

[35:23] And the last thing we see is the hardships that God's people must endure until the end. That's verses 15 to the end of the chapter.

[35:34] So yes, there is a certain coming victory for God's people. Yes, the whole universe will know about it in the end, but we're not there yet.

[35:48] Christ's kingdom has begun, but it's not yet complete. We are waiting for his return. The day of judgment, it's in the future. But what then?

[36:01] What is the reality for God's people as we wait? Well, from verse 15, we see the explanation of the terrible vision that Daniel's seen. And even though he's given the reassurances of verses 17 and 18, even though he's been told that the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom forever, he can't shake the vision of the fourth beast.

[36:25] Daniel asks for more information about the fourth beast. Look at verse 19 and following. Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest.

[36:41] Look on to verse 21. As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.

[37:01] This is what Daniel sees. And this is the reality until Christ's second coming. This horn, the ruler, he will make war with Jesus' people until the Ancient of Days comes.

[37:17] And look at the interpretation of this fourth beast that Daniel is given. Look at verse 23. Thus he said, As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms.

[37:36] And it shall devour the whole earth and trample it down and break it to pieces. As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them.

[37:48] He shall be different from the former ones, and he shall put down three kings. And listen, he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law.

[38:07] And they shall be given into his hand for a time, times and half a time. Now we're not, I don't think, to try and discern a particular king or ruler of the empire with this little horn, or the ten kings.

[38:27] I think there was a time when the EU was ten members. I think people thought this was applying to that. But we're not to try and discern a particular king. I think it's generally true in these last days.

[38:40] This is the kind of thing that's going to happen until the end. This is showing us the kinds of things we can expect in these final days in which we already live. This is the experience of the church in these days.

[38:53] It's been the experience of the church from the very beginning. Just read through the book of Acts. It's always the way, and it will always be the way until Christ returns. And it tells us the church's experience in this present age will be one of suffering.

[39:09] Look at verse 25 and following. It says, The little horn will speak words against the Most High. So don't expect praise from the kings and presidents and prime ministers, from the media of this world.

[39:29] They will not praise the people of God. They will not praise the Most High, but rather will speak words against. He will wear out the saints of the Most High.

[39:42] It will be relentless and unceasing. It will keep on and on. He will seek to change the times and the law.

[39:56] What is more foundational than God's creation ordinances about what it is to be male and female, about the nature and purpose of marriage, the sanctity of human life?

[40:08] And yet these are things in our legislatures at the moment being voted on. This is what the beasts of this world will do. They will seek to change the times and the law.

[40:23] But this, despite what it might look like or feel like, it is limited. It's limited. Notice that it says, that the saints shall be given into his hand for a time.

[40:38] Times and half a time. In other words, this will not carry on forever. It is for a limited period. There is a final judgment coming.

[40:49] And so we are not to be naive about this reality. We are not to be naive about the strength or the durability of evil.

[40:59] It will be an ever-present reality in our age. And we need to learn that for now, the experience of Christians will be hardship and suffering.

[41:11] Look back in history. Look around the world today, and Christians have suffered. They are suffering. And they will continue to suffer.

[41:24] But we can also know this. Even though the forces of evil will do all in the power to overwhelm Christians, they will not prevail against the church and Jesus Christ.

[41:37] We can face that reality. We are equipped to stand because we've heard the reality of Daniel 7 this morning. We can see through our present struggles to an unseen reality.

[41:51] And we must be a people with our eyes fixed firmly on what is surely coming. Our eyes must be fixed firmly on the reality of Daniel 7. There is a heavenly courtroom.

[42:07] The Ancient of Days is on his throne. He has judged all the kingdoms of this world, and they are all destined to fail. Even the little horn that terrifies Daniel, even that will be destroyed.

[42:20] His will be an eternal kingdom. And we, each of us, if you belong to Jesus this morning, we shall possess the kingdom forever.

[42:36] God is the winning side. And so if you're a Christian here today, you are on the right side. You are on the right side of eternal history.

[42:47] And if you're not yet a Christian, I must urge you, before it's too late, to turn to him. Pledge your loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ, because he is the Son of Man, and he will come one day to return in judgment.

[43:04] And so, we have a hope. We have an unshakable hope. We have an understanding of where history is going, so we can withstand evil in this day.

[43:23] And having done all, we can stand firm, because of what we've seen in this chapter. And hear the words of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[43:36] Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. That is the reality of Daniel 7.

[43:49] Let's pray. Let's pray. Father God, how we need your word to reassure us, to strengthen us, because we, like Daniel, are anxious and alarmed at what we see in our world.

[44:17] But Lord, help us see beyond the visible. and please, would you help us to be a people that live not by sight, but by faith, trusting your sure promises.

[44:32] So please help us to do that before we ask it. In Jesus' name, Amen. Amen. Amen.