DANIEL SERIES: GOD RULES SOVEREIGN IN THE KINGDOM OF MEN

Sermon IX: Deliverance From Above

Text: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14

Introduction:

When we last visited Daniel we were given a view of human history from God's viewpoint. We seen the four beasts coming up out of the seas of humanity; the lion that represented the Babylonian empire; the bear, revealed the Medo-Persian empire; the leopard, that signified the Greek empire. Then finally this fourth beast, which was so diverse from all the rest, no animal in the animal kingdom could be found to describe it.

God shows us that he sees human history different than we do. He likens the depravity of these human kingdoms to ravenous beasts that devour its prey.

We discussed how this fourth beats represents the revived Roman empire. Now Daniel's dream of these four beats is not over. In the middle, the scene changes dramatically. It's like setting in a movie theater watching the scenes unfold on a horizontal split screen. On the lower half of the screen you see the four beats coming out of the sea of humanity, one after another. The fourth beast is devouring and breaking into pieces the nations. Then suddenly the upper level of the screen lights up and we have a glimpse into the throne room of heaven.

Now this may all seem confusing for many of you, so we have to understand the way in which the OT prophets looked at the future.

I. The Mountains and Valleys of Prophecy

The OT Prophets looked ahead and often saw images of the future converge without distinction between the events of the first coming of Christ and His second coming. Look at as if you were driving towards mountains, as you are looking a long way off, it looks like one big peak. But as you get closer we realize there is more than one peak. And as we get even closer, we see there is a great valley between these two mountain peaks.

That is why often times, when Bible students read the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel, it looks as the events of Christ's first coming and His second are one in the same events. They are not, because they did not understand that one mountain peak may have represented the first coming of Christ and the second mountain peak the second coming. The confusing part was that they did not understand that these peaks were separated by this long valley called the church age.

For example, let's examine one passage of Scripture today that clearly reveals this for us. Read Isaiah 61:1-2. This prophecy concerns the coming of the Messiah to the earth. When Jesus presented Himself as the Messiah he went into the Jewish synagogue and read this passage in the ears of the Nation of Israel (Lk. 4:16-19).

Notice something was left out of this passage that was in the Isaiah 61 passage? What was it? "The day of the vengeance of our God" (61:2). You see Christ's first coming was being fulfilled when Jesus spoke in that synagogue in Nazareth. But his second coming was a day of vengeance, and was separated by this long period called the
Church age.

The last time we visited Daniel we were looking at the earthly kingdoms and we saw destruction from down below - now Daniel takes us into the heavenly realms, were we see deliverance from above.

II. The Ancient of Days (7:9-10).

Having said all that, this brings us back to Daniel's prophecy. Daniel's prophecy in (7:9-10) jumps forward into the future at Christ's second coming. This is the only place in the Bible where the Ancient of Days is mentioned. Perhaps this description is the one Michelangelo used to paint God on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. God is not human, he is a spirit, we are told in John 4. But he has revealed himself in human form in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here Daniel is picturing God as the "elder one," or literally, the one who has been around forever. And rightly so, God is eternal, "the Ancient of Days," he is the source of time. Psalms 90:2 says, "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hast formed the earth and the world. Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."

A. The majesty of the heavenly kingdom (v. 9).

Notice, His clothing are "as white as snow," a picture of absolute purity. We see Him sitting on his throne in majesty and glory. We read that "his throne was like the fiery flame; and his wheels as burning fire" (v. 9c). To be perfectly honest, I am not sure what these fiery wheels are. All I know is that is shows the mobility of his throne, to bring judgment anywhere in the universe.

Next we are told, "A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him" (v. 10a). This river of fire probably depicts God's presence, which is exactly how it is described in other passages. For example, Psalms 97:3, 5, "A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about." "This hills melted like a wax at the presence of the Lord…."

B. The multitude of heavenly servants (v. 10).

"Thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him." Millions of angles stood before his throne to worship and to serve Him. Now we are told in Revelation 12:4, when the devil rebelled in heaven "his tail drew a third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth." So if the devil took a third of the angelic beings with him, that means there is 2 thirds of them still left in heaven, leaving the devil and his fallen angles out numbered by 2-1. We are told in
Revelation 5:11 - "And I beheld and heard the voice of many angels round about the throne … and the number of them was ten thousand, and thousands of thousands." So what Daniel and John were both describing is the fact that there are innumerable angels, too many to precisely count.

So when you begin to think that the old devil has you on the ropes and you are out numbered; remember God is in sovereign control and the devil and his fallen demons are out numbered by heavens hosts.

C. The heavenly record books.

Now we see heaven's court is about to convene and the judge is seated , and the written evidence is produced. God's library of books is about to be brought out for public review. Now we probably don't now all the record books God has been keeping, but the Bible does unveil some of them to us. Moses knew about one of them when he said, "Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin, and if not, blot me I pray thee, out of the book which thou has written (Ex. 32:32).

Daniel in (12:1) speaks of the deliverance of God's people, "every one that shall be found written in the book." The gospel writer Dr. Luke, declares, "Rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven" (Lk. 10:20).

Did you know that God keeps a record of our sorrows? Psalms 56:8, says, "Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll - are they not in your record." There is also a book where God keeps a record of everyone who holds Him in reverence and fears him. "A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name" (Mal. 3:16).

One day every lost person and saved will stand before the judgment bar of God. Those that are saved will find that their name is written in "the book of life." But those that are lost will find that God has been keeping a book of deeds in which to judge the lost by (Rev. 20:11-15).

Those that tried to live by human merit rather than faith in the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ will be judged by their deeds. Those that lived by the law the law will be their judge. The book of life will be present, only to disclose to them that their names were never written therein.

Friend my question to you today is this, Are you sure that your name is written in the Book of Life? If not would you like to resolve that issue today, so that you might know?

III. The Son of Man (vv. 13-14).

When Daniel sees the next player in this heavenly drama, this person had not yet come to earth as a babe and assumed humanity. "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence" (v. 13).

One of the names of the Lord Jesus Christ often used in prophetic passages is the "Son of Man." The Son of God speaks of His deity; the Son of David speaks of His royalty; and the Son of Man speaks of His humanity.

Here we see Him in human form as He approaches God the Father. As he approaches the Father is going to give Him the nations of this world (v. 14). In Psalms 2:8, God is speaking, and I believe He is speaking to Jesus Christ. He says, "Ask of me and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." Revelation 11:15, puts it another way: "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever."

IV. Application

First of all, we live in the kingdom of this world. It is limited in scope, but the kingdom of Christ is without limitation. He will be the absolute monarch of the whole world.

Second, We have seen times in history when it was referred to as the "golden age." But it is nothing in comparison to when Christ shall rule and reign in absolute glory, majesty and justice.

Third, we see Christ's kingdom is unified, while the kingdoms of this world are torn apart by war and strife. But one day Christ will rule and absolute peace will reign, not peace like the world gives, but the absolute and sovereign peace of God.

Fourth, Christ's kingdom will stretch from the east and the west, the north and the south, it will fill the whole world, unlike any other previous kingdom. And we are told it is an unconquerable kingdom that will not be destroyed. Friends, when we get excited about the kingdom of Jesus Christ, we are going to get sick about the kingdoms of this world. Friend are you prepare for Christ's kingdom, because He will only admit prepared people.

Let's Stand and Pray!