Alright, let's open our Bibles
to the book of Daniel, chapter 7. Daniel, chapter 7. Now, I've
entitled tonight's message, The Everlasting Dominion of Christ. The Everlasting Dominion of Christ. We read about that in Psalm 8
and in Philippians chapter 2. That the goal of all things is
the glory of God in the everlasting dominion, lordship, kingship,
sovereign rule of the Lord Jesus Christ over his people whom he
redeemed with his precious blood. And his kingdom is established
and will be established further and it will last forever. It's
not like any kingdom or empire of men. It will be an eternal,
it is an eternal kingdom. Now as we come to Daniel chapter
7, we really begin a new and a different section of the book
of Daniel. Chapters 7 through 12, to the
end of the book, consist of four visions. visions that God gave
to Daniel during his stay as a captive, but also as an influential
man in the court of these heathen kings, the Babylonian captivity. So there are four visions in
these last chapters. The first six chapters mainly
consisted of history. There was some prophecy in the
first six chapters. We saw that especially chapter
two. In fact, this, what we're gonna
look at tonight in the first 14 verses of chapter seven, really
sort of parallels what was given, a vision that God gave to Nebuchadnezzar,
a dream rather, that God gave to Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter
two. And so the first six chapters
is history with some prophecy there, but these last six chapters
are prophecy given in a historical background. And in chapter 7
here that we're going to look at, and as I said, we're just
going to look at the first 14 verses tonight because there's so much
here, you can't get it in in one message, it's hard to get
even you know, split it up into two messages. I don't know what,
you know, may have to do three, but we'll, whatever comes, we're
in no hurry. But here in chapter seven, we're
given the vision of the four beasts and the ancient of days. The four beasts and the ancient
of days. In chapter eight, we're given
a vision of what's called the ram and the he-goat. And then
in chapter 9, this very pivotal chapter, we're given the vision
of the 70 weeks of Daniel, which is connected all with the Messiah.
And then the last chapters, chapters 10, 11, and 12, is the vision
of the kings, from Persia all the way up to the King of Kings,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, in chapter 7, we're confronted
with four beasts that come up out of the sea. So, the vision
of the four beasts. Now, before I get into this,
I'll just tell you right now, there's a lot of controversy,
argument, debate over specifics, things like that, how one thing
applies to history, if it is just a general spiritual truth
or if it has some historical context, it does have historical
context, or if it has some pointed historical person or nation in
view, and there's a lot of argument over that. And I don't want us
to get bogged down in those arguments, and I don't want us to get bogged
down in the specifics of it. I'll show you some things that
I believe, and in my studies of it, you can study it out on
your own. Many people go crazy over things like this, and especially,
you know, I've told you, you don't interpret prophecy by reading
the modern-day newscast and the newspapers. So, let's just get
into it. The first eight verses are the
vision of the four beasts. Listen to what he says in the
first year, verse one, in the first year of Belshazzar, king
of Babylon. Now, these things happened during
Daniel's stay in Babylon. This is under Belshazzar. This
vision was given to him back then. And it says that the king
of Babylon, Daniel, had a dream and visions of his head, these
are things that only he saw, upon his bed. These are the night
visions, they call them. And it says, then he wrote the
dream. I believe that settles whom God used to write the whole
book of Daniel right there is Daniel himself. But he wrote
the dream as he was in what he saw, as he was inspired by the
Holy Spirit, and he told the sum, the summation of the matters,
the word that God gave him. Here's the sum of it, here's
what it is, and here's what it means. One thing that you're
going to see, if you've read ahead, you know that the interpretation
of most of these things is given right in the chapter where the
vision is given, so we don't have to wonder about it. But
look at verse 2. It says, Daniel spoke and said,
I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of
the heaven strove, that's in strife, upon the great sea. The great sea. You know, in the
book of Revelation, the great sea symbolizes what? Nations,
people, the world. And the great sea here, under
the four winds, Pictures that see the world, the nations, the
people, striving in turmoil. This is something that, when
you look at it, and it's like when you do read the, when you
watch the newscast or when you read the newspaper, what do you
see? You see a lot of strife, a lot of commotion, a lot of
destruction coming from all directions. That's the four winds. But notice
what it says, you know, the scripture says in Isaiah chapter 57, let
me read this to you in verse 20. It says, but the wicked are
like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast
up mire and dirt, there's no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. And that's a testimony in this
vision that there's no peace in this world. There's no peace. The only peace that we have is
the peace of God given us in Christ. There's peace with God
between His people and Himself through the one mediator between
God and man, the man Christ Jesus. God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
He made peace by the blood of His cross and then by the Spirit
He gives us a settled peace within concerning our salvation, but
that's not peace with men. In the world, Christ said, you'll
have tribulation, but don't be troubled. I have overcome the
world. So this is what Daniel's seeing. He's seeing the world
in chaos from a human point of view. That's from a human point
of view. A world out of control from a
human point of view. A world in turmoil. But notice
it says, the four winds of the heaven. The four winds from heaven,
literally. What's that mean? Well, that
indicates that in all of this turmoil and all of this strife
and all of this trouble that we see in the world from the
four winds, that God is still in control. And if there's one
thing, one of the main things that runs through the whole book
of the prophecy of Daniel, it's the fact that God is still sovereignly
in control of all things, and this is His judgment of the world
because of sin. from our viewpoint, and even
believers now, we get caught up in this, we think, we look
at things and we think, oh man, it's just, there's no end to
it, there's no victory, there's turmoil, there's chaos, but it's
all within the realm of God's sovereign control and God's judgment
of this world. So all of these things that Daniel
was going through, all the visions and dreams that we read about,
all of these symbols that we're gonna look at, listen to them,
they all set forth the indisputable and unconditional sovereignty
of God. Now what that shows us is this,
and this, go back, turn back to Isaiah chapter 46 with me. You know, whenever I read things
like this in the scripture, and when I think about them, I always
like to go back to these verses in the last part of Isaiah 46. Because it always helps me to
put things in perspective. The right perspective. The perspective
of God. Not my own little world. My own limited vision of things.
Or your limited vision. What men say. But it sort of
just rounds everything out so that we may know that every thing
that happens in this world is headed towards a glorious purpose. And the reason God sets it so
is to bring his people to be weaned away from this world and
what little pleasures we get in this world and to drive us
to Christ. salvation, for peace, for forgiveness,
for life, for righteousness. Look at verse 9 of Isaiah 46,
remember the former things of old. For I'm God and there's
none else. I'm God and there is none like
me. Declaring the end from the beginning,
working all, that's God working all things after the counsel
of his own will. the end from the beginning, from ancient times,
the things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand,
I will do all my pleasure, calling a ravenous bird from the east,
and I believe, as most commentators will say on this, that that's
talking specifically of the Medo-Persian Empire under Cyrus, Darius came
first and then Cyrus, but then Cyrus specifically, whom God
used as an instrument of his judgment upon Babylon. But now
God was in control and is in control, but now Cyrus is still
a ravenous bird. The sin and the pride and the
idolatry belong to him, but God's in control of it all. overruling
the sin and the pride and the idolatry of men to work his will
and his way and it says the man that executes my counsel from
a far country yea I have spoken it I will bring also bring it
to pass I have purposed it I will also do it I was listening on
the radio today some fellas talking about America and how bad America
is getting and you don't need me up here behind this pulpit
to tell you how bad America is getting it's getting bad That's
an understatement, isn't it? Getting worse and worse and worse.
So that's not my topic tonight. But what they said is this. They
were going back to what they called America the Christian
nation, which it never really has been a Christian nation.
I know the founding fathers founded the country upon moral principles,
even biblical principles to some degree. But most of them never
even claimed to be Christian. But they were talking about,
and they made this statement, they said, it was the hand of God that established
this country and set it in motion. And what we need to do is get
people back to God. Well, let me tell you something.
We're gonna read about four kingdoms tonight. Four ungodly, idolatrous
kingdoms that the hand of God set in motion to. That's right. What did Daniel say to Nebuchadnezzar? He said, Nebuchadnezzar, your
position, your throne, your glory, God gave it to you. Now, Nebuchadnezzar
didn't recognize it until he was humbled. He didn't know it. But what did Daniel say? God
gave it to you. Now, God's not the author of
sin, but he has a supreme, all-encompassing purpose. In all of this, what
is that purpose? Well, look at verse 12 of Isaiah
46. He says, Harken unto me, you stout-hearted that are far
from righteousness. Who's he talking to there? He's
talking to me and you. Sinners, by nature, by practice,
by birth, by choice, ruined in Adam. Self-righteous, proud sinners,
unbelieving. who think we're righteous, but
we're not, who think we're accepted of God, but we're not, who think
we're good enough or can be if we work hard enough, but we're
not. And then he says in verse 13, now here's the purpose of
it all. When we talk about the everlasting
dominion of Christ, here it is in verse 13, I bring near my
righteousness. Who is that? Christ, the God-man
in his obedience unto death. It shall not be far off, and
my salvation shall not tarry, and I will place salvation in
Zion for Israel my glory." Who's he talking about? He's talking
about his church. He's talking about spiritual Israel. Now go
back to Daniel 7. Here's this vision of the four
winds of heaven striving upon the great sea, all nations, all
peoples, all languages under turmoil. strife, but it's God's
purpose and it's God's judgment. That's what it is. It's the four
winds of heaven. God's in control. And then it
says in verse 3, "...and four great beasts came up from the
sea, diverse or different one from another." Four different
beasts rising up out of the sea. Now what you're going to see,
these four great beasts are parallel with the four great empires. the kingdoms, the nations, in
the image that Nebuchadnezzar had in his dream in Daniel 2.
You remember the statue, the metallic statue, the head of
gold, the shoulders and the arms and chest of silver, the belly
and the thighs of bronze, and the legs and the feet of iron,
and the feet of iron mixed with clay. That's the image that Nebuchadnezzar,
God gave that dream to Nebuchadnezzar. And those four medals, that statue,
represented the four nations. Babylon, the Babylonian Empire,
the Medo-Persian Empire, the Greek Empire under Alexander,
and then finally the Roman Empire, and then an extension of Rome.
And here is the same thing in these four great beasts. Now
somebody might ask, well, why in Daniel chapter 2 did he give
Nebuchadnezzar the dream of these nations as metals, but here they're
beasts." Well, the answer is simple. In Nebuchadnezzar's dream,
what he was picturing there was their glory, even though it was
a fleeting glory, because remember what he said, they're all going
to fall, they're all going to crumble. A stone that's cut out
will come and defeat him. Who's that stone? That's Christ.
But he's picturing it from man's point of view there, man's point
of view, the glory of these empires, you see. And their appeal to
man. But here in Daniel's vision,
Daniel chapter seven, we're seeing those same empires from God's
point of view. And they're each represented
by a ravenous beast. And represented because of their
ferocity. They may shine with the appeal
of medals to man, like Nebuchadnezzar's head of gold, but right here
in Daniel 7, we're going to see their true, sinful, ungodly,
ugly nature and character, what they really are. In fact, really,
you could say Daniel 7 is a shining example of what the Lord said
in Luke chapter 16 and verse 15, that which is highly esteemed
among men, abomination unto God that's what they are well let's
look at each of them verse 4 he says the first was like a lion
and had eagles wings I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked
or plucked out and it was lifted from the earth and made stand
up on the feet as a man and a man's heart was given to it who's he
talking about some about the Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar
a lion because of its ferocity. It was a total monarchy. It was
the first great world empire. It had eagle's wings because
of its swiftness. I don't know if you have this
referenced in your concordance in your Bible, but the book of
Habakkuk, Habakkuk chapter 1 and verses 6 through 8 describes
Babylon as an eagle, one with eagle's wings, because of its
swiftness. It was a terrible enemy, a terrible
conqueror. It didn't take them long. But
it says here that the wings thereof were plucked or plucked out,
pulled out by the roots. And it was lifted up from the
earth and made to stand upon the feet as a man and a man's
heart was given to it. What's he talking about? He's
talking about Nebuchadnezzar's experience when God plucked his
wings. Nebuchadnezzar, remember when
he was lifted up with pride. And he went out and surveyed
his kingdom and all that he had done and all of his glory, and
God put him out in the field as a wild animal with no reason. He was humbled. He was given
the heart of a man. In other words, he came to realize
that he's no more than a man, period. You may think you're
a god, Nebuchadnezzar. You may think you're really something,
but you're nothing but a man. He learned his place in the universe. That's what happened. A speck
of dust. A speck of dust. That's the Babylonian
Empire. Verse 5, look here. Here's the
next one. He says, And behold, another
beast, a second like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one
side. It was a lopsided bear. And he
says, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth
of it, and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. Well, that's talking about the
next empire, the Medo-Persian empire, the Medes and the Persians.
That was a combined empire of these two powers, the Medes,
they came first, and then the Persians. But one phase, one
of those empires gained the strength and prominence over the other.
It was the Persians, and therefore it was lopsided, like this bear. The Medes came up first, then
the Persians grew stronger. Over in Daniel 8, look at verse
3. Here the Medo-Persian empire
is pictured as a ram with two horns. In Daniel chapter 8, verse
3, look here, it says, Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold,
there stood before the river a ram which had two horns, and
the two horns were high, but one was higher than the other.
And the higher came up last. That's the Persians. Well, over
here in Daniel 7, this bear, this lopsided bear, it's the
Medes and the Persians. It has three ribs in its mouth. What are those ribs? I really
don't know. I can give you an idea. Number
one, it shows that this bear had a ravenous appetite. A ravenous appetite. But we do
know in history that the Medo-Persians, they conquered the three main
kingdoms, enemies of that day, the Babylonians, the Lydians,
and the Egyptians, so maybe that's what they represent. I don't
know for sure, and you don't either. But it really doesn't
matter. This is a ravenous beast And it says it's given a command.
Look, in verse 5 it says, and they said, thus unto it arise,
devour much flesh. It was already devouring much
flesh even at the time it was commanded to do so. So it's a
very ravenous beast. So the three ribs could represent
those three kingdoms that it had already conquered. Babylon,
Lydia, and Egypt. All right. But that's, but it's
a ravenous beast. It's an evil beast. Now look
at verse six. It says, here's the third beast.
He says, and this I beheld, and lo, another like a leopard. Now
some translations have a panther. So if you have that, don't worry
about it. It could be translated either ways. Like a leopard,
which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl. And it
says, the beast had also four heads, and dominion was given
to it. This leopard represents swiftness. And what he's talking about here
is the third empire, which is the Greek empire under Alexander
the Great. It had four wings, it was very
swift. Alexander conquered a lot of
territory in a short period of time, and he himself died quickly
at 33 years old. And it says here this beast had
four heads, here in verse 6, look at it. had upon its back
of it four wings of a fowl. The beast also had four heads.
After Alexander died, his empire was divided under four generals. So that's possibly what the four
heads mean. That's historical. But look at
what it says at the end of verse six. Listen, and dominion was
given to it. Now who gave that dominion to
it? God did. God's in control. Everything's
still working, see? These are successive empires
down through history, see? And the reason we know this is
because the book itself tells us they all had something to
do with the people of God under the Old Covenant, conquering
Judah and Jerusalem, all of that, having some kind of influence
over Judah and Jerusalem. We'll see that in just a moment.
But God's working all things. According to his sovereign will,
hearken unto me, you stout-hearted, you who are far from righteousness. What's his purpose? To bring
Christ into this world in spite of these ravenous beasts, you
see. That's what's going to happen.
And he says, now look at verse 7. It says, after this I saw
in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and
terrible and strong exceedingly, And it had great iron teeth.
It devoured and break in pieces and stamped the residue with
the feet of it. And it was diverse from all the
beasts that were before it. This was different from every
other beast before it. Different from Babylon, different
from the Medes and the Persians, different from Greece. And it
had ten horns. Now, of course, this is the Roman
Empire. The ten horns stand for ten kings
or ten kingdoms. Some say they were Roman emperors.
I don't believe they were. I believe mainly what he's talking
about is the kings and the kingdoms that rose up out of Rome. There
were 10 tribes that Rome split into, you see. Over in Daniel
chapter 2, it was the 10 toes of the statue. So it's 10. But
you know the number is the 10 of historical completion. So
whatever it's saying, I can tell you this much, it's saying that
that this is a complete domination by that Roman spirit that ungodly
spirit and listen what he says here he says in verse 8 I considered
the horns now horn means power it means some sort of dominion
that's what it's talking about and he says and behold there
came up among them another little horn now this little horn represents,
symbolizes, the anti-Christian spirit, anti-Christ. It's what
it's talking about. It says, before whom there were
three of the first horns plucked up by the roots. Now, you can
take that literally if you want to and apply those ten kingdoms
that Rome was divided up into. Seven of them actually became
nations. Later on, three of them were
obliterated. They were plucked up. That may
be what it's talking about. But here's what it's saying,
is that not all these ten kingdoms were going to make it. Some,
God was going to deal with early on. So, it's not a complete victory
even then. He's limited. That's why He's
a little horn. A little horn. Little in this
sense, that He can go no farther than God will permit. He's got
his limitations, just like Satan. One old preacher used to say,
God has Satan on a leash. He can only go so far, and that's
what it's talking about. He is never able to go as far
as he desires in world domination, and especially in the destruction
of God and his people, the destruction of the church. He can't do it.
Look on, he says, behold, in verse 8 here, he says, Behold,
in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man. He sees as a man. The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God. He doesn't have spiritual eyes.
He doesn't have godly eyes. He doesn't have spiritual insight. He sees as a man and a mouth
speaking great things, inflated things. I, like Satan, I will
ascend unto the Most High. He has a claim of being like
God or God Himself. He has a claim of salvation,
a claim of deity. Now this little horn, as you
know, as I said, is Antichrist. It's the same as the man of sin
in 2 Thessalonians 2 who raises himself up in defiance against
God and his Christ and his church. He seeks to destroy the knowledge
of God from off the earth, but he will not make it. And I thought about this, you
know, if you look at, you know, this is the Roman Empire. And out of that Roman Empire
became a religious empire. And we just name it what it is,
it's Catholicism, it's the papacy, all of that. It's wrong for anybody
to confine it to just that because it's any spirit of Antichrist,
any religion that comes in the name of Christ but denies the
doctrine of Christ. And somebody told a preacher
one time, said, well, you shouldn't just name Catholicism and the
papacy. I said, well, that's equivalent
to saying, let's all ignore the 2,000-pound gorilla that's in
the room. I mean, it's there, folks. That's
what came out of Rome. It was a religious and a political
empire. And it dominated for years, and
in some ways still dominates. Let me show you how these things...
This Roman Antichrist, this spirit of Antichrist is a combination
of all that stands against God. You think about Babylon. When
you think about Babylon, you know what you mainly think? And
this isn't mutually exclusive now. Listen to what I'm saying.
Babylon is the spirit of works religion. Think of the Tower
of Babel. Men trying to work their way
into God's favor. And then you come to the Medes
and the Persians. Now they, you know, you could say they symbolize
works religion too, but their mainstay was mysticism. They
love mysticism. What is mysticism? I'll tell
you what mysticism is. Anything you believe and do that
is not based solely upon the revealed word of God is mysticism. That's right. It's mysticism. And then what about the Greeks?
Well, remember what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians? The Jews
required a sign. The Greeks seek after what? Wisdom. Human wisdom. Human philosophy. Now, you put it all together.
Works, free willism, mysticism, human wisdom, and what have you
got? You have the spirit of Antichrist. Now, Beginning in verse 15 of
Daniel 7, he's going to expound more upon that spirit of Antichrist. I personally believe that it's
wrong for people to look for one man. to call him the Antichrist. That spirit is already here.
It was present in John's day. But he's going to expand upon
that, and so I'm gonna hold that off for the next message. But
here's the mainstay of what we want to focus on. Look at verse
nine. Now listen to this. Here's the vision that God gave
Daniel of the true king. The Lord Jesus Christ. Listen
to it. Here's the kingdom of God connected
with the coming of Christ. He said, I beheld. Now literally
that would be, I kept on beholding. In other words, what Daniel's
saying, you know, and as he went down through the beast, he said,
and after this I beheld. Literally he's saying, and I
kept on looking. I just keep on looking. I kept
on looking. And he's saying, and I beheld.
I kept on looking till the thrones were cast down. The thrones of
these empires. And the Ancient of Days did sit. Who's that? That's God. I believe
it's the Godhead. God the Father, God the Son,
God the Holy Spirit. Having no beginning, no end.
The Great I Am is right here. The Ancient of Days. Who is that?
That's God. That's no creature there. This
is not one that had a beginning or he couldn't be called the
Ancient of Days. This is the one who set it all
in motion from the very beginning, working all his purposes, and
he did sit. Where is he sitting? He's sitting
on his throne. He's in control. And whose garment
was white as snow, that's his righteousness. It's his justice. It's his holiness. It's his purity.
And the hair of his head like the pure wool, that's his wisdom
and his knowledge. He is God. His throne was like
the fiery flame and His wheels as burning fire. The wheels of
justice, as somebody said today. That's what that's about. His
throne, a fiery flame is His judgment against sin. Our Lord
is a consuming fire to all who stand before Him without Christ. Without being washed in the blood
of Christ and robed in His righteousness. and the wheels of justice will
never stop. God is a just God and a Savior,
even in our salvation. For we stand before Him justified
in the person and work of Christ. He says in verse 10, a fiery
stream issued and came forth from Him. Again, that's His justice,
and thousands, thousands ministered unto Him, and 10,000 times 10,000
stood before Him. Those big numbers indicate a
population that can't be numbered. That's what he's talking about.
That's the language, that's a Hebrew idiom that means you can't put
a number. Don't get your calculators out
and start adding this up. It's just a way of saying that
it'll be so many we can't count them. Now God counts them. He
counts his people. He numbers his people. He knows
his people and he knows the heathen. And it says here, look here,
it says the judgment was set. That means nobody can change
it. Again, God's not playing chess with us up there. He's
not making His countermeasure. The judgment is set and the books
were opened. The books of God's judgment.
That's what that's talking about. These are the judgment books.
And verse 11, and that's the key there now. His judgments,
see, His judgments are always according to truth. All who are
without Christ, the Scripture says, will be judged based on
what? Their works. And they'll be found guilty.
All who are in Christ will be judged in Him and declared righteous
in Him, and their works do follow them as a testimony to their
union and faith and glory in Him. How do I stand when God
opens these books? I love that passage in Hebrews
10 and verse 17 when it says, because of the sacrifice of Christ
on the cross, because of His substitutionary atoning work
wherein He was made sin, Christ who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him. Based on that, His
one offering for sin, we're perfected forever, and their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more, And the symbolism here is such as
this, that when those books are opened and he sees my name, there'll
be no charge. It's wiped clean by the blood
of the Lamb of God. No charge. And there'll be righteousness
laid to my account, the imputed righteousness of Christ, by which
I'll stand before God whole and accepted in Him. We have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Look at verse
11. He said, I beheld them because of the voice of the great words
which the horns spake. See that horn, that's talking
about that little horn still bragging. It's kind of like the
scene, it's kind of like Matthew 7, 21. Lord, Lord, haven't we
not prophesied in your name? Lord, Lord, haven't we not preached,
hadn't done many great things, cast out demons? See that little
horn still bragging. He said, I beheld even till the
beast was slain, destroyed, and his body destroyed and given
to the burning flame. I kept on looking till I saw
that, Daniel sang. And then he says, as concerning
the rest of the beast, they had their dominion taken away. Yet
their lives were prolonged for a season in time." Now, their
kingdom is gone. There's no Babylonian empire. They tell me that Saddam Hussein
was trying to reestablish Iran as Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar.
Well, he's a nut. He's crazy. But I'm going to
tell you something. That spirit of Babylon is still
alive and kicking. It's called Mystery Babylon.
In Revelation 17, what is it? It's the spirit of works, religion,
free willism, mysticism, the wisdom of men, rather than the
ways of God. So those kingdoms are gone, those
empires are gone, but their spirit is still allowed to carry on
through the little horn, through the Roman religious system not
just listen yes that's Catholicism but not just Catholicism even
those those who have that spirit of works and mystic mysticism
and and the wisdom of men he says he says they were prolonged
for a season in time that's a set period of time It's coming to
an end. Verse 13, I saw in the night
visions and behold one like the Son of Man came with the clouds
of heaven and came to the ancient of days and they brought him
near before him. That's Christ, the Son of God
incarnate. That's Christ the crucified,
buried and risen again, who ascended unto the Father. He went to the
Father because He had finished the work. He put away our sins.
He established righteousness. He justified His people before
a holy God. And He was taken before the Ancient
of Days. To do what? To stand as the mediator,
the advocate of His people. The Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. This is the everlasting kingdom.
Look at verse 14. And there was given him dominion.
Now, as God, as the Ancient of Days, as the second person of
the Trinity, he already had dominion. But here a dominion is given
to him. And then glory. As God absolutely considered,
he already had all glory. You can't add anything to God.
He's self-sufficient, all-encompassing. And then, and a kingdom. Well,
as God, he already ruled. He's in control right now. He
was in control back here during Daniel's time, wasn't he? What's
it talking about? It's talking about his dominion,
his glory, and his kingdom as the savior of his people. As the mediator between God and
man. There's a man in glory. And He
rules over this universe. He's God-man, you say. He's more than man. He's man,
every bit man without sin. But He's more than man. He's
God-man. And it says He's given dominion
and glory and a kingdom that all people, nations, and languages
should serve Him. His people will serve Him in
salvation. Will bow to the King of Kings. will submit to His righteousness
in His righteous room. But every knee's gonna bow. And
every tongue is gonna confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. It
says His dominion is an everlasting dominion, not like Babylon, not
like the Medes and the Persians, not like Greece and Alexander,
not like Rome or the Roman religious system. That'll have its end
and be destroyed. that it's an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away, and his kingdom, that which shall
not be destroyed. Look at verse 17, just in closing. Talking about these great beasts,
which are four, are four kings, which shall rise out of the earth.
They are of the earth. They're of the earth. And you know, the Bible tells
us that they'll make war with the saints. In fact, he says
they're gonna wear us out in verse 25. Have you ever felt
worn out? They're talking about the little horn antichrist. It says, he shall speak great
words against the most high and shall wear out the saints of
the most high. He's gonna wear us out. You're not gonna destroy
us, but don't you get tired. But look at verse 18, he says,
but the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess
the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. Now why is that? Because
that kingdom belongs to our Lord and Savior. He possesses it. He owns it. He's the rock that
was cut out, that destroys all other kingdoms, all other ways. That's our Savior. All right.