Daniel's Vision of the Coming King, Part 1

Let's bow for a moment of prayer together.

Father, we thank you, Lord, for today, and we are so grateful for the things you teach us. Lord, you've given us your word that explains so much about the future. Forgive us, Lord, for not understanding it. Forgive us, Lord, for not studying it. Forgive us, Lord, for not making it a part of our everyday life. Reading about it, learning more about it. Because, Father, you're going to come again, and it's sooner than it's ever been before. We would pray that it would be today. Tonight, we pray that we wouldn't have to live another day on this earth, that you would take us home to be with you. But, Lord, if you tarry, our prayer, Father, is that the things we learn tonight will motivate us to share the gospel with others. They might understand that the king is coming. He came to redeem man the first time, he's coming to judge man the second time. So we're asking, Lord, that through the things that we learn, you would move us to action, that we wouldn't just gather some information, some facts about the coming of the Messiah. But that Lord, it would really revolutionize the way we see others around us. And it would enhance our ministry at work, at school, the office, wherever we may go, that Lord, we be used by you in a mighty way. In Jesus' name, amen.

Daniel chapter seven. We are halfway through this book. Halfway through. The first six chapters dealt with the rise of Daniel's prominence. The second half deals with the revelation of Daniel's prophecies. First half is mainly historical. The second half is mainly prophetical. But it plays a huge part in terms of us understanding what God is going to do in the future. Daniel is that first apocalyptic book, and it gives us the end for the very first time in signs and symbols. So because God is going to use these signs and symbols in Daniel's life, we are better able to understand how things will play out in the future.

Daniel 7 is called the little revelation. It's played out in full detail in the book of Revelation, but Daniel gives us the history of the world. We realize that there will be four visions, this one and three more. This one spans the rest of Daniel's time on earth as well as into the future when Messiah comes and sets up his kingdom. The next three visions will give us details concerning what's going to happen in that time. And so that's where we're going. That's what you need to understand as we begin to embark on Daniel chapter seven.

Now, it's important to understand that what Daniel is doing and what God is doing through Daniel is opening the door for us to understand everything concerning the end. That's important. And the question comes, why does God reveal it to Daniel now? In fact, Daniel 7:1 says these words, "In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream." Now, wait a minute, I thought Cyrus was now the king and the Medo-Persian Empire was in charge. Well, that's true. But this vision happened in the first year of Belshazzar's reign as king. That's important to note. Because Israel would be wondering somewhere down the line, what is happening? Is God going to fulfill the promise to us?

You've been in those kinds of situations. You know about the promises of God. You begin to ask yourself some questions: when is this ever going to happen? When is this promise going to be fulfilled? Imagine Israel. Now, God told them you're going to go into captivity for seventy years. He told them the time frame. In fact, over in the book of Jeremiah, the twenty-ninth chapter, it says these words: "For thus says the Lord, When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill my good word to you to bring you back to this place."

Now, this is God speaking. And Jeremiah is prophesying right in the cusp of Israel's 70-year captivity. So he tells them how long it's going to be. Verse 11 says, "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope." Those verses are not for the church. Those verses are not for you. Those verses are for Israel. Okay? Now, it is true that God does know the plans he has for you. Yes, it is true that God has a future for you. But this is specifically referring to Israel and their seventy-year Babylonian captivity. He says, "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. And I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes, and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you. Declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile."

Now that was given right before they went into captivity. Well, now during the first year of the reign of Belshazzar, Israel is beginning to wonder, when is this ever going to end? Has God forgotten us? Will God forget us? Has God changed his mind concerning his promises about us? Well, in the book of Jeremiah, 32nd chapter, these words are spoken at verse number 42: "For thus says the Lord, Just as I brought all this great distress on this people, so I am going to bring on them all the good that I am promising them." So the Lord made it very clear. I promised you captivity. I promise you distress. It's going to come. But just like I promised you affliction, so too I have promised you an opportunity to come back from all those things. It's going to happen. As sure as you went into captivity, it is sure that you're going to come back out of that captivity, and I'm going to bring you back again.

And so Daniel receives this vision in the first reign of Belshazzar. Now he was a wicked ruler. Nebuchadnezzar was an ingenious ruler. But Belshazzar was a wicked man. And so, under the oppression of Belshazzar, before Cyrus came and the Medo-Persian Empire overtook Babylon, there was a lot of wondering about what was going to happen next. And so God gives this vision to Daniel that he is now going to reiterate to the people of Israel. Forty years earlier, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. And in that dream, Daniel was able to understand the kingdoms that were going to come and the arrival of the Messiah. He would have given that to the people of Israel some way, somehow, so they would begin to understand the future kingdoms of the world and the arrival of the Messiah. But that was forty years earlier than where we are in Daniel chapter seven, verse number one.

Now think about this. 70 years is a long time. I've been living for 63, almost 64 years. That's not even 70 yet. And I think I've been living a long time. Think if you're in captivity for that long, that length of time. And so God has given this vision to Daniel so that he can reiterate to his people that they might have hope, that the Messiah is going to come. The Messiah is going to set up his kingdom. He is going to rule and reign for all eternity. This was going to be great hope for Israel. It should be great hope for us as well because we understand the end. We know how it's all going to turn out. That's the blessing of prophecy. That's the blessing that we have in terms of reading the scriptures.

Now remember, Isaiah chapter 46, verse number 9 says: "Remember the former things long past, for I am God and there is no other, I am God, and there is no one like me, declaring the end from the beginning. And from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all my good pleasure." Only God can declare the end from the beginning. Only God can tell you everything that's going to happen from the very beginning to the end in the in-between time. Only God can do that. And so, what God is going to do and bless Daniel with is to help him understand from his day what's going to happen till the Messiah comes again. This is such a pivotal place in Scripture. And the book of Daniel helps us understand a little bit better the book of Revelation, and Revelation helps us understand the book of Daniel. So we will be going back and forth between Daniel and Revelation to help you understand how they coincide together so you can begin to realize the importance of prophecy and how it relates to your life and to my life. That's very, very important.

And so, what happens now in this sensational, inspirational, foundational chapter, you're going to get the rest of history. You're going to get the rest of prophecy. You're going to get it all in one chapter. And then, as we go into chapter 8, chapter 9, chapter 10, 11, and 12, you're going to get more of the details that encompass that. You're going to learn about the Antichrist and the rise of the Antichrist and what are some of the attributes and characteristics of this one. This man of lawlessness, what's he going to look like? How does he rise to power? And as we look at that, we'll also see the book of Revelation and see what the Bible says concerning that whole individual. So it's going to be very eye-opening for you. We're going to give you a lot of information. We're going to give you a lot of verses. If you feel lost, don't feel alone. The guy next to you is probably just as lost as you are. That's why we record these things. You can go back and listen to them again, so you can begin to digest them all. But as we come, we'll repeat them for you, we'll go over them for you, we'll review it for you, so you begin to understand all that's going to take place.

Three things we're going to cover in Daniel 7. Okay? First is the arrival of the king. That's important. He's coming. Next, outside the arrival of the king, the attributes of his kingdom. And once we understand the attributes of his kingdom, we're going to look at the account on how the kingdom comes. Just three simple points. And what we're going to do is, we're going to jump right into the middle of Daniel chapter 7 to help you understand the arrival of the king. Okay?

Daniel chapter 7, and we're going to go to verse number 9: "I kept looking until thrones were set up, and the ancient of days took a seat. His vesture was like white snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands were attending him, and myriads upon myriads were standing before him. The court sat, and the books were opened."

The ancient of days begins to judge. This is not the great white throne judgment of Revelation 20. Okay, how do we know that? This is the judgment of the nations, Matthew chapter 25. Why? Because the Messiah comes in verse number 13: "I kept looking, and in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of Man was coming. And he came up to the ancient of days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away, and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed." So the vision is all about the arrival of the king. The Messiah is going to come.

But understand that this is not the first time this is mentioned in Scripture. It is mentioned all throughout the Old Testament. It begins in Genesis chapter 49. In Genesis chapter 49, Jacob is blessing his sons. And it says in verse number 10: "The scepter," kings hold scepters, "shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples." So there we begin to understand that this Messiah is going to come from Judah and He is called Shiloh. Translated means "the one to whom it belongs." What belongs to him? The scepter. So the king is going to come from Judah. And so we have this first mention of this arrival of a king that's going to come and rule Israel.

And then, of course, you turn to Numbers chapter 24. Numbers 24 is a pivotal chapter because what it does is it helps you understand what Daniel would teach the magicians. So the magicians in turn would teach their children and teach their children's children. So by the time you come to Matthew chapter 2, these magi come from the East to worship a king. Well, how do they know that a king has been born in Jerusalem? How do they know that the Messiah is a king? Numbers 24, verse number 17. Moses says, "I see him, but not now. I behold him, but not near. A star shall come forth from Jacob. A scepter shall rise from Israel." That verse, in and of itself, would be pivotal to Daniel teaching the Magi who were stargazers. The astrologers to help them understand that there's coming a certain star, a shining one, and this shining one is going to have a scepter in his hand, and he's going to rule Israel. And this would be a crucial verse for Daniel to go back on to help these Magi understand the arrival of the Messiah as king.

But it doesn't end there. The Bible tells us in the book of 2 Samuel chapter 7, verse number 1: "Now it came about when the king lived in his house," this is David, "and the LORD had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, 'See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within tent curtains.'" David is in his palace, a beautiful palace made of stone and cedar. Okay, that's how we know that in the city of David, in the archaeological digs there on that little hill of thirty acres, that David's palace is there because it was a palace built with cedar in between the stones. So that's how we know where David's palace was. And David says, "I got this beautiful place in which I live. It's great. But my king, my lord, my Lord is in a tent. I need to be able to build him a great temple. A great palace." So he tells Nathan. Nathan says, "Great idea, David," until God comes to Nathan and says, "Hey, time out. Wait a second. No one consulted me on this issue. You got to consult me, and you didn't do that. David's not going to build the temple. His son Solomon will build the temple. But David won't because he's a man of bloodshed. Solomon's a man of peace."

So the Bible says in verse 12 of chapter 7 of 2 Samuel: "When your days are complete, and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom." That's Solomon. "He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." That's the Messiah. Okay? And it goes on to say, verse 16: "Your house and your kingdom shall endure before me forever. Your throne shall be established forever." This is what we call the Davidic covenant, David's covenant, or God's covenant with David that a son of his will sit on his throne. And it will be established forever. So, again, we begin to understand more and more about the coming of the king.

And then, of course, over in Psalm 89, it says in verse number 34: "My covenant I will not violate, nor will I alter the utterance of my lips. Once I have sworn by my holiness, I will not lie to David. His descendant shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established forever like the moon, and the witness in the sky is faithful." So, again, there's this prophecy of the coming Messiah, the Davidic covenant, over in Psalm 110.

Remember Psalm 110? Most quoted Psalm in the New Testament. Because it is, you should know it. Psalm 110 and verse number 1: "The Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." Very important verse. Why? Because that verse is used with Jesus and the Pharisees. And he uses that verse to ask them a question. Okay? Way back in the book of Matthew, Matthew chapter 22. And in Matthew chapter 22, this is very important. Why? Because it's the last week of our Lord's life. He is answering and asking questions. And so he's finally, I mean, he's answering questions. He's finally now going to ask a question of the religious establishment. So he says in verse number 41: "Now, when the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: 'What do you think about the Christ, whose Son is he?'" Okay, it's all about the Messiah. It's all about the identity of the Messiah. This is life's most important question. Whose son is the Messiah?

Well, they think they have the answer. And they get it partly right. They said to him, "The Son of David." "We know who the Messiah is. He is the Son of David. There's no mistaking about that." So he said to them, "Then how does David in the Spirit," meaning this is inspiration, because the Spirit of God is speaking to David, "how does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying," and he quotes Psalm 110, verse number one, "the Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies beneath your feet. If David then calls him Lord, how is he his son?" In other words, if the Messiah is the son of David, and David is referring to his son as Lord, and the Messiah is not even born yet. How is it he can be son of David unless he's also son of God? Very important. Well, he's got them trapped because they got to answer Psalm 110, verse number 1, a verse that every rabbi would know about the arrival of the Messiah. "No one was able to answer him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask him another question." Why? Because it's the only question that matters. Who is the Messiah? Who is the Son of David? The Son of David is the Son of God. And the Old Testament would point to this Messiah who would come and be a king on a throne.

Remember Jeremiah chapter 23? Very important verse when it comes to understanding the prophecy of the arrival of the Messiah. Jeremiah chapter 23 says these words, verse number five: "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord." Remember Jeremiah prophesying right before Israel goes into captivity. "When I will raise up for David a righteous branch." Well, we know the branch from the prophecy of Isaiah 100 years earlier was all about the arrival of the Messiah, Isaiah 11, verses 1 and following. "When I will raise up for David a righteous branch, and he will reign as king, and act wisely, and do justice and righteousness in the land. In his days, Judah will be saved. And Israel will dwell securely, and this is his name by which he will be called the Lord our righteousness."

You have another verse that speaks to the coming of the Messiah, the branch, who is going to be a king and who's going to rule and act justly and righteously. And so Israel knew the Messiah was going to come. He was going to be a king. So when Daniel gets this vision in Daniel chapter 7, it's all about the Son of Man coming who's going to be coronated as king over all the earth. So, this will put the pieces of the puzzle together for the nation of Israel. To help them understand the prophecy up to that point and what Daniel begins to see, and as Daniel relays that to them, they are now able to put the pieces together and realize the Messiah is the king and he's coming.

With me so far? Oh, it gets better. Hold on to your hats. So it says these words in verse number nine, back in Daniel seven: "I kept looking until thrones were set up." Thrones? Why were thrones, plural, set up? Well, no one really knows. Okay? Now, if you're in the Middle East, and remember, this takes place east of the Middle East. Okay? This is the Far East. And so what you have in this Eastern culture are pillows that would be placed all around that the Ayatollah or the Sheik would come and sit upon. Okay? So most commentators think that that's what's being talked about here when thrones are being, as it says, cast down. The pillows are being cast down to set up the arrival of the coming Messiah, the coming King.

And so it says here the ancient of days, "the ancient of days took his seat." Translation: The Old One. Now, we know that God is a spirit. We know that God is eternal. We know that God doesn't age, right? He's immortal. He is eternal. So this speaks to the eternalness of God, not a specific age of God. He's referred to as the ancient of days because he is the creator and the originator of all days, and this is the eternal God who comes to sit down on his throne. And so he sits and he comes in judgment. Very important.

Now we sing about this, don't we? We sing about this in some of our hymns. How about this one? "Oh, worship the King. All glorious above, And gratefully sing His power and His love, Our shield and defender, the ancient of days, Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise." How about this one? "Come thou, Almighty King, help us thy name to sing. Help us to praise, Father all glorious, o'er all victorious, come and reign over us, ancient of Days." So we sing about Daniel chapter seven, the ancient of days, the coming of the Messiah, but he's coming because what's going to take place is the ancient of days is going to give to a son the inheritance that's been promised him as he rules the world. Very important to understand when it comes to Daniel chapter seven.

But then the scene shifts in verse number thirteen. And in verse number 13, it makes it very clear that "I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of Man was coming." There's coming one like a son of man. What I see, Daniel says, is unique because the one that's coming on the clouds, and if you read Isaiah 19 and Psalm 104, the clouds are symbolic of the chariots of God. So you see, this one, he's like a son of man, he looks human, and this is what he sees. Why is that important? Because the title Son of Man is the title used in the New Testament that the Lord ascribed to himself. So that all Israel would know that he is the fulfillment of the seventh chapter of Daniel over eighty times in the Gospels. He refers to himself as the Son of Man.

Remember Luke 19, verse number 10? "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost." That's what he came to do the first time. In fact, if you go to Luke's Gospel in the fifth chapter, what you have is a story of our Lord, Luke chapter 5. It says in verse number 17, "One day he was teaching, and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was present for him to perform healing. And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed. And they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of him. But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, he said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven you.'" Christ forgives the sins right there. "The scribes and Pharisees began to reason, saying, 'Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?'"

Now, they're reasoning within themselves. They're reasoning within their heart. They're thinking to themselves. They're not speaking to one another. They're reasoning in their hearts. Well, the very next phrase should let you know that the Lord knows everything. Because it says this, "But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, 'Why are you reasoning in your hearts?'" How would he know that? How would you know I'm reasoning in my heart? How would you know that, Jesus? Unless, of course, Jesus is God who knows everything. "'Which is easier to say, your sins have been forgiven? Or to say, get up and walk?'" Which is the easiest to say? Well, the easiest to say is "your sins are forgiven." Because how would you ever know? If I say, "take up your bed and walk," and you don't, I'm a fraud, right? But if I say "your sins are forgiven," you don't know whether or not someone's sins are forgiven, but he says, "So that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," he said to the paralytic, "I say to you, get up and pick up your stretcher and go home." And immediately that's what took place. He was a son of man who came the first time to forgive sins. He came to redeem man. When he comes the second time, he's going to dish out his retribution upon man.

But he's a son of man. And that phrase, "son of man," used by our Lord 80 plus times in the Gospels, is taking every Jew back to Daniel 7. Every Jew, every rabbi, every Pharisee, every Sadducee, they all knew by heart Daniel chapter 7. Because Daniel chapter 7 was the arrival of the Messiah to rule the earth, and they all looked forward to that day. So, when Jesus adopts the phrase, Son of Man for Himself, He is telling them, "This is who I am. I am the fulfillment of Daniel's vision in Daniel chapter 7."

That's why the phrase is most often used by the Lord when it concerns his second coming. Over in Matthew chapter 16, these words are spoken. Jesus says in verse 27, "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds." That's his second coming. "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." Well, that wasn't his second coming, but it was going to be fulfilled in Matthew 17 on the Mount of Transfiguration when the glory of the Lord would shine all around, and Peter, James, and John would be there with the Lord, and there would be Elijah, and there would be Moses, and they would see a glimpse of the coming kingdom of God.

If you go on to Matthew chapter 24, Matthew chapter 24, verse 29, "But immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. And then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory." Very important. Verse number 36: "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark. And they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away. So will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then there will be two men in the field. One will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and one will be left." Where are they taken? They're taken in the judgment. The ones left will enter into the kingdom of the Son of Man.

Over in Matthew chapter 25, again, verse number 31: "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him. And he will separate them from one another, as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats. And he will put the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left." That is a specific fulfillment of Daniel chapter 7, the judgment of the nations when the Messiah comes and judges them. So, this phrase, Son of Man, is extremely important. Because Christ uses it primarily in reference to his second coming.

So they will know that the Son of Man is the Son of David. That the Son of Man is not just the Son of David, but he's also the Son of God. On top of that, he's the Son, the Son of righteousness, who arise with healing in his wings. So, what he's doing as Christ speaks in the Gospels is connecting dots for the Jewish people to understand his identity, who he is, that the Messiah is Son of Man. Son of man is son of God. Son of God is the Messiah of Israel. All that is extremely important when you come to understand Daniel chapter 7. A phrase that Jewish people are all familiar with.

And it comes with the clouds of heaven. That's how he comes. We told you before that the clouds are the chariots of God. Remember, over in Acts chapter 1, he is taken up into glory on his ascension, and he was taken up into the clouds. And the angel said, "This same Jesus will come in the same manner in which he left." He left in the clouds. He will come back in the clouds. At the rapture of the church, 1 Thessalonians 4, we will be gathered together in the clouds, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Revelation chapter 1, verse number 7, it says these words: "Behold, he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. So it is to be. Amen."

Now, John in Revelation sees the exact same thing that Daniel sees in Daniel chapter seven. Revelation chapter 5, these words are spoken, and this gives us more detail to what's happening in Daniel chapter 7. Verse number one of chapter five: "I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?' And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. Then I began to weep greatly, because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, 'Stop weeping. Behold, the lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has overcome, so as to open the book and its seven seals.' And I saw between the throne with the four living creatures and the elders a lamb standing as if slain. Having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. When he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense. Which are the prayers of the saints, and they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals, for you were slain and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, you have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.' Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and the living creatures, and the elders, and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, and wisdom, and might, and honor, and glory, and blessing, and every created thing which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things in them,' I heard saying, 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and dominion for ever and ever.' And the four living creatures kept saying, 'Amen.' And the elders fell down and they worshipped."

That is filling in the blanks of Daniel chapter 7 with the ancient of days who's coming to sit in judgment. As he comes to sit in judgment, he has a book. In that book, are the seven seals that need to be broken. Daniel sees one like a son of man who is coming to receive authority and dominion and glory, right? So, what you're having in Revelation 5 is greater detail as to what's taking place in the vision in Daniel chapter 7.

Now, some of you are out there thinking, "Wow, I am lost." Don't worry. I'll find you. Okay? It's going to be okay. Go back to Daniel chapter 7. You need to understand that this is all about the arrival of the king. It's all about the coming Messiah. That's what the vision is. Israel needs to have hope. Where is their hope? It's in the arrival of the Messiah. It's always been about the coming of their king. That is that blessed hope. That's what we're looking for, right? "That blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." We live in anticipation of that, right? And the more we anticipate it, the more motivated we are to live in the light of his coming because he's going to come again.

So imagine if you're a Jew and you're in exile, and you've been there for 50 years, 60 years, right? And Daniel comes to you with this vision, this night vision that he has, and begins to interpret it for you that you would understand. "Listen, it's soon going to be over. Here are the kingdoms of the world that are going to come. And the Messiah is going to arrive. And when the Messiah is going to arrive, he's going to judge the nations. He's going to set up his kingdom. He's going to rule in his kingdom."

Daniel says nothing about climate change. Nothing. When the Congresswoman from New York on January twenty-second, twenty nineteen made the statement, Sandy Cortez, what does she say? "Unless we do something about climate change, we will all be dead in twelve years." That's what she said. Really? Daniel said nothing about climate change. John said nothing about climate change. Why? That's not an issue. If anybody's going to change the climate, it's going to be the Lord. Read the book of Revelation. When everything begins to unravel, right? That's the ultimate climate change. And then he's going to just destroy everything. He's going to burn everything up, right? You think fossil fuels are burning up the atmosphere? Wait till the Lord gets a hold of it. He's going to destroy everything. And going to create a new heaven and a new earth where only righteousness dwells. You see, that's what we look forward to. We understand this.

So when the congresswoman from New York or somebody else starts to talk about climate change, you can begin to understand they have no idea what they're talking about. They have no idea about the end. They have no idea who God is. But we do. It's all right here. Book of Revelation. Book of Daniel. We understand it. This is our hope. This was Israel's hope. And Daniel will instill in them his vision, which would re-energize the nation itself as they would begin to see God is still in charge, God is still on his throne.

Remember, "El Elyon," twelve times, book of Revelation, twelve chapters, God Most High rules over the realm of mankind. It's about the magnificence of the Most High God. And the Most High God's magnificence is seen to its fullest extent when He comes again. And that's Daniel chapter 7.

So, this is the arrival of the king. The second thing you need to note is the attributes of his kingdom. Look what it says. It says, "One like a Son of Man was coming, and he came up to the ancient of days." Right? Same thing we just read in Revelation 5, right? But this one tells us it's like a lamb who was slain, right? John sees a lamb who was slain with seven horns. Seven horns symbolizing strength. Seven eyes, right? The all-seeing eye of God. Seven spirits, the fulfillment of Isaiah chapter 11, about the sevenfold work of the Spirit. Oh, by the way, every number used in the book of Revelation is a literal number. No number in Revelation is symbolic. Every number is a literal number. 1,260 days, three and a half years, seven years. All those are literal numbers. By the way, Revelation twenty, "a thousand years," six times Revelation twenty, it says. He reigns for a thousand years. Again, it's not symbolic, it is literal.

Now, this is very important to the vision of Daniel about the literalness of his kingdom. Think about this. Was Babylon a literal kingdom? Yes. Was Medo-Persia a literal kingdom upon the earth? Answer: Yes. Okay? Was Greece a literal kingdom upon the earth that ruled the earth? Answer, yes. Was Rome a literal kingdom that ruled upon the earth? Answer: Yes. So now you're going to tell me that the arrival of the Messiah is not literal, but somehow it's figurative. Somehow, it's symbolic. It's not a real reign upon the earth. It's just kind of symbolic to the coming of the Messiah that's going to rule and reign in the hearts of man. That's not what the vision is about. The vision is about the kingdoms of this world, a literal kingdom.

I have a lot of friends who do not believe in a literal kingdom upon the earth. I have a lot of friends who believe that everything about the book of Revelation is symbolic or took place in AD seventy at the destruction of Jerusalem. There's major problems with the interpretation of Matthew 24 if you take that view. Huge, huge hermeneutical problems.

But if I was to disprove the fact that the kingdom was a spiritual kingdom and not a literal kingdom, I would just use one verse. I'm sorry, three verses. One chapter. Luke one. And behold, as the angel Gabriel says to Mary: "You will conceive in your womb and bear a son." Is that figurative or literal? Did Mary conceive and bear a son? Answer. Are you sure? Because I don't want you guys to deny the virgin birth right here in public. Okay? Yes, she conceived and bore a son. "And you shall name him Jesus." Was that his name? Yes, because he will save his people from their sins. "And he will be great and be called the Son of the Most High," El Elyon. He is going to be the son. He's going to be equal in nature to the Most High God. Was he? Yes. In fact, he was called the Son of the Most High God during his earthly ministry. Well, it was here the first time.

"And the Lord God will give him the throne." Is that literal or figurative? "Some, well, it's the throne of your heart." Really? That's not what it says. It says, "God will give him the throne of his father, David." We read for you earlier in 2 Samuel chapter 7 that there was a throne, right? And that his son would rule forever and ever and ever. There's going to be a kingdom. There's going to be a king. This is called the Davidic covenant. Either God's going to be true to his word and fulfill that promise to David that he made way back in 2 Samuel 7, reiterated in Psalm 89, and you read Psalm 76, Psalm 42, especially Psalm 45, and you begin to realize that there's going to come this king who's going to rule on a literal earth.

Then it says this, Luke 1: "And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end." You can't take a set of verses and say, "Okay, Mary was the literal woman. Mary literally conceived. Mary literally gave birth to a son. His name was literally Jesus. He was called the Son of the Most High God. Yes, he was. All that is true. All that happened. And then all of a sudden, change, and everything's going to be, okay, symbolic or figurative. In the hearts of man, that's where he's going to rule forever and ever." It doesn't work like that. That's not how you interpret Scripture. You need to take it at face value for what it is.

So when Daniel sees the vision, he gets the vision of the history of the world, of literal kingdoms that are in place on the earth and rule. Babylon, when he got the vision with Belshazzar as the king, he's right in the middle of that one. But he understands the golden image of Daniel chapter 2, right? And that's what this is going to be about. And Daniel eight's going to be about as we begin to unfold what this colossal vision was in Daniel two and begin to see how it's now symbolized by various animals in Daniel chapter seven and eight. All that's going to come to be and understand about how they ruled. Well, they're all literal. So when he sees one like a Son of Man coming, he's coming to set up his kingdom upon the earth. He's not coming to set up his kingdom in your heart. Although he does do that, right? He does rule and reign in our hearts. It's called a spiritual kingdom. We know that because he is our king. He indwells us, right? He is the king of our lives. We live in subjection to our king. That's what we do. And because we live in subjection to our king, we tell the world that there is El Elyon, the Most High God, who rules in my heart, and I am completely subject to everything that He says. And therefore, I become a testimony to everyone around me that I serve the God of the universe because He rules in my heart and rules over my life. But that does not take the place of the fact that he's going to come again, he's going to set up his kingdom, and he's going to rule and reign upon this earth. And we have the number: a thousand years. Mentioned six times in the book of Revelation, the 20th chapter.

If you were with us years ago, we did 86 sermons in the book of Revelation. We went through and explained everything to you in detail to show you how the Bible interprets the Bible. And what was taking place in the book of Revelation is how it's all going to take place when Jesus comes again. Well, Daniel 7 is a preview to all that the book of Revelation is about.

So you have the arrival of the king, then you have the attributes of the kingdom. The first one is its authority. This kingdom is not like any earthly kingdom that you have known or I have known. It's nothing like what's going on in Canada, okay? What's going on in America, what's going on in Russia, and what's going on in China. Okay? Nothing's like that. This is a king who rules righteously. This is a king who rules justly. And so it says, "He came up to the ancient of days and was presented before him, and to him was given dominion." Authority. The first attribute of his kingdom is its authority.

Listen. His kingdom will not be a democracy. No one will vote in the kingdom of our Lord. Okay? So you won't even need an ID to vote because there's no voting in the kingdom of God. Okay? Why? Because he is the ruler. He reigns. Listen, the best form of rulership is dictatorship. As long as your dictator is God, right? A theocracy. Because he doesn't do anything wrong. Everything is holy. Everything is just. Everything is right. He makes all the decisions and he rules with a rod of iron. But that's okay because he doesn't make any wrong decisions. Everything is right and pure, and he comes with all authority. What did Christ say? Matthew 28, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given unto Me." Over in Psalm 8, verse number six, it says these words, Psalm eight: "You make him to rule over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet." In other words, he rules over everything. In fact, the book of Zachariah, the fourteenth chapter, the ninth verse. After Messiah comes, it says these words: Zachariah 14, verse number 9: "And the Lord will be king over all the earth. In that day the Lord will be the only one, and his name the only one." He's going to be king over all the earth. Literally speaking, that's what he's going to do.

So his kingdom is defined by its authority, it's also defined by its glory. For it says, "And to him was given dominion, glory and the kingdom." He's going to be glorified. He's going to be honored. You know, you got to admit that our Lord is constantly defamed and dishonored. He's denied. He's doubted. No one believes in God, but we do. But think about an earth, a kingdom, where he receives all the glory, all the praise. All the honor. We were created for his glory. Well, that's going to happen in the kingdom. When the king arrives, he will rule righteously. It will be his kingdom. And he'll receive all the glory.

That's what Revelation 5 was all about. Revelation 4, Revelation's new song. What's the Revelation's new song? The new song is a song of redemption. What's the song of redemption? The song of redemption is a song of Moses. All the songs, Song of Moses, Song of Redemption, the new song, they're all the same song. It's a song about victorious redemption and the rulership of the great God of the universe, El Elyon. And therefore, that's the song that is sung. He rules over all. No longer will you have to worry about bad choices, bad decisions, bad laws. All righteous, all true, all holy, because He gets all the glory. He demands to be glorified, and he deserves to be glorified.

Next thing I want you to see is the kingdom's entity. It says this, "And to him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom." That kingdom is an earthly kingdom. That kingdom is an eternal kingdom. But you have both. You have, first of all, an earthly kingdom, then you have an eternal kingdom, the kingdom of our God. It begins with an earthly kingdom where he rules over the realm of man, but then it turns into an eternal kingdom when he destroys the heaven and the earth and creates a new heaven and a new earth, as Revelation says, where only righteousness dwells. If you have time, read Psalm 72. Psalm 72 speaks about that kingdom and its entity and why it's a literal kingdom upon the earth.

And next thing I want you to see is its constituency. Who's going to be there? Well, everybody's going to be there. Psalm 2, verses 8 and 9, Psalm 45, 1 to 6. He's going to rule over his enemies with a rod of iron. He's going to rule over nature. Think about it. He's going to rule over nature. Hosea 2 says he's going to rule over the insects and the beasts. He's going to rule over everything and everyone. Think about it. The insects will respond to his commands. I wish the insects would respond to my commands. You know, I tell them to move, they don't move. I got to use raid, I got to do something to get them out of my house. The Lord says, "Move." They move. They just do what He says because He controls them.

He rules over the saints. He rules over the saints, Old Testament saints, the tribulational saints, the church age saints, the apostles, who will be granted twelve thrones in the kingdom. Think about that. The twelve apostles were promised twelve thrones in God's kingdom. Okay? And they will rule in those thrones. You and I were not promised those 12 thrones. We were promised the opportunity to sit on his throne with him, book of Revelation. But the twelve apostles will be there. They are the saints. They are the holy ones. The Bible says down in verse number 18 of Daniel 7, "But the saints of the highest one will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever for all ages to come." So, it's going to be an earthly kingdom. It's going to be an eternal kingdom. The entity is so specifically stated that everyone is going to submit themselves to the king of kings and lord of lords.

How about this? It says that "all the people, nations, men of every language might serve him." He's going to be served. He's going to be honored. People always ask, "What are you going to do in heaven?" Do you know that the book of Revelation tells you that you're going to serve God in heaven? But before you do that, you're going to serve him on earth. Hopefully, you're already in the realm of serving him now in the church with the people of God. Why? Because get in good practice because you're going to do it for all eternity. You're going to serve the king, you're going to honor the Lord, but you're going to do it in his kingdom. He wants all the nations of all the people of every language just to serve him.

"His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away." The kingdom is an eternal kingdom. He rules in perpetuity, "and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed." Can't destroy the kingdom. Why? Because the king who rules is the God of the universe. This is where the world's going. This is what's going to happen. You need to understand that the Lord Jesus is going to come again. He came the first time to redeem man. The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which is lost. He came on a search mission to save his people. When he comes again, he's coming on a mission to destroy people, all those who have rebelled against him.

And all you got to do is read the book of Revelation, read the book of Zachariah. When he comes and the glory of the Lord shines all around, Zachariah tells us that the eyes in a man's head will be incinerated. Because the glory of the Lord will shine all around them. When the Lord comes back in Revelation 19, we're going to come back with Him. And we won't have to do anything. We're just going to watch Him work. He's going to speak the word, and everybody will be destroyed. Those who have rebelled against him. And the Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 14 that the blood will flow for 1600 stadii or for 200 miles. In fact, we can even tell you when and where, not when, but where the king is going to return. Isaiah 63. Isaiah sees him coming from Bozra and sees him already dripped in blood. Because the judgment has already begun. It's two hundred miles from Bozra to the valley of Megiddo. So the blood will flow for 200 miles. He comes to destroy those who have rebelled against him. Why? Because when he sets up his kingdom, the only people that go into the kingdom are his children. Gentiles and Jews alike.

In that kingdom, children will be born, and they will not believe, some of them won't, and they'll turn against him. After the thousand-year reign of Christ, the book of Revelation tells us that after Satan's been bound for a thousand years, he'll be released. Why is that? Because no one can say in the millennium that the devil tempted them. Nobody can say in the millennium "the devil made me do it." Because the devil is bound for a thousand years. Christ is going to prove that when man sins, he sins because he's born with a sin nature. He doesn't need to be tempted by the devil for him to sin. He's just going to choose to sin. And he does. Satan will be let loose. He will gather together all those who have rebelled against the Lord. And the Lord will cause fire to come down and incinerate every one of them in a moment. And then all you have left is the way it was before Genesis 1, verse number 1, except for one thing: the throne of the living God. And there, the books will be opened, and there all the unrighteous souls will be judged and cast into the lake of fire. And you come to Revelation 21, there's a new heaven and there's a new earth where only righteousness dwells.

That is where the world's going. The question is: will you be there? Do you know the Messiah? If not, tonight's the night to give your life to Christ.

Let's pray.

Father, we thank you, Lord, for your word of God. We thank you for the truth that's there. So many things to cover, so little time to cover it. But Lord, we want to be able to explain all these things. I thank you, Father, for the opportunity to teach and to preach about your coming. No greater anticipation can we possibly have than to live in the light of your return. Lord, I pray for every person here tonight that, Lord, you do a work in their heart. If they do not know you, may tonight be the night of their salvation. May they give their life to the redeeming king of the universe. Because when you come again, it'll be too late. So, Father, we know that you are a God of grace and mercy, of love and forgiveness, for only you can forgive sins. If someone is here in an unforgiven state, Lord, cause them to come to you in repentance, that they might receive the forgiveness of our Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.