Daniel's Vision of the Coming King, Part 2

Okay, let's bow for a word of prayer, all right?

Father, we thank you for tonight and a chance to be in your word. Lord, you give us great joy by instructing us in your word, and we are grateful. We pray that tonight you teach us the things and open our eyes, that we might behold wonderful things from your law. And pray, Father, that the things we learned tonight will enable us to live for you even better tomorrow, because we are one day closer to your presence. So we thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.

Okay, Daniel chapter 7. And as we turn to Daniel 7, I want to go back to what we talked about a little bit on Sunday morning and talk to you about what are the effects of prophecy. And let's see if you can remember, okay? I gave you four of them on Sunday. All right, let's see if you were paying attention during prayer time on Sunday.

Okay, the very first effect of prophecy was it is a... No, that's the one on faith in Hebrews 11. No, no, no, I'm not talking about that. Well, at least you were paying attention for that one, Elise. That's good.

Remember, prophecy has a terrifying effect upon our lives. Remember that? They're all T's. I gave you four T's on Sunday. Prophecy has a terrifying effect. How do we know this? We know this because of the book of Daniel. We know it because of the book of Revelation. So Daniel says these words in Daniel 7:15, "As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me." Then in verse number 28 of chapter 7, "At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me, and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself."

Prophecy has a terrifying effect. Why? Because he was able to see what was going to happen to his people Israel, and it's a terrifying thing to realize that the people you love are going to die and some of them are going to die and pass off into a Christless eternity. This was a terrifying thing for Daniel, and it should be for every single one of us as well as we begin to understand the ramifications of the coming of the Messiah.

And so when you think about this, remember, Daniel 1:1 is all about the beginning of the times of the Gentiles. The times of the Gentiles began when Israel went off into Babylonian captivity. So when Daniel begins, the times of the Gentiles begin, and they last all the way to the end until the Messiah comes back again. All the way until the return of Christ is all about the times of the Gentiles.

So when you read the book of Daniel, understand this: that the book of Daniel is about Gentile supremacy under the direction of God's sovereignty. All right? Gentile supremacy under the direction of God's sovereignty. The times of the Gentiles is about how the Gentiles rule over God's people Israel, but it's under the direction of God, who is sovereign, who rules over all, because this is his plan. This is the direction he's going. So you need to understand that, and that's what the book of Daniel is about.

And from Daniel 1, verse number 1, when Daniel is taken off into captivity until the Messiah comes again, is what the Bible calls the times of the Gentiles. And so during that time, Daniel is able to see the effects upon his people Israel by these visions that God gives him. So when we read the Bible and we study prophecy, we realize that when Jesus comes again, and those that we know and that we love don't know him, they're going to perish.

It should have a terrifying effect upon our lives.

But number two, you'll realize, we told you on Sunday, it also has not just a terrifying effect, but it has a terrific effect. All right. Who said that? Oh, man. Somebody took good notes. Get that man a car. Buy him a car. It has a terrific effect, an absolutely terrific effect upon our lives. Why? Because Jesus Christ is coming again, and everything about his arrival, and everything about his kingship, and everything about his lordship, and everything about his rulership is going to come to be. It's the fulfillment of prophecy. It is the apex of human history. The cross is the apex of redemptive history, but the coming of the Messiah the second time is the apex of human history because it takes you all the way to the end where the Messiah Himself arrives and begins to rule over man.

Now remember, the book of Revelation begins, Revelation 1:3, and it ends with the same blessing. "Blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy, who adhere to the words of this prophecy, right, and keep these words." There's a blessing - that's why prophecy is so terrific. That's why we say that if you read prophecy and you're not terrified, and you don't see the terrific results of what God's going to do, you didn't read it right. You read it the wrong way. You need to go back and read it again. Why? Because what you're doing is you're reading about the revelation of Jesus Christ our Lord. That's why it's so terrific. It reveals to us the Messiah. It reveals to us who Jesus Christ is. That's why Revelation is called the revelation of Christ. It is the apocalypsis. It is the unveiling of Jesus Christ our Lord.

So the book of Revelation reveals to us the power and might of our God. The book of Daniel reveals to us the same thing. He is El Elyon. He is the Most High God. He is the ruler over the realm of man. So prophecy reveals to us the power and might of the Messiah. Remember, the book of Revelation has a word called the pantocrator, which is talking about Christ as the Almighty One. Right? It's used nine times in the book of Revelation, ten times in the New Testament. But nine times in Revelation, because at the end, the mighty power of God is so fully put on display that you can't mistake what is happening for anything else other than it's the Lord God, the Lamb, who is slain before the foundation of the world, who's doing all of this.

And so it's all about the revelation of Christ. That's why prophecy is so terrific. It reveals to us the power of God. It reveals to us the sovereignty of God. It reveals to us the justice of God. It reveals to us the grace of God. It reveals to us all we need to know about who Christ is. That's why prophecy is so significant to your life and mind. We need to understand biblical prophecy because it gives us hope, it gives us a future. It gives us a realm of anticipation for our lives. It does a mighty work in and through every single one of us.

Listen to what it says in Daniel chapter 7, verse number 6. It says, "And dominion was given to it." In other words, one of the beasts was given dominion. Who gave the beast dominion? God does. God gives him dominion. God gives him power. God gives him authority. God does all those things. So if God's involved in all this, and he's El Ely, he's the most high God who rules over the realm of man, then he's in complete control of everything. And that's what prophecy does. That's why it's so terrific. And that's why it gets us so excited because we begin to realize, wow, God is being unveiled to us in ways unlike any other time in Scripture, because we see how God controls all the events of life, all the people in life, all the situations in life, because he's in absolute control of everything.

So prophecy has a terrifying effect. It has a terrific effect. It has a transforming effect, right? It transforms your life from the inside out. It transforms everything we think about the future. It transforms the way we see the future.

It transforms the way we see God who controls the future. It does the work on the inside of a man. It's a transforming power of God that does the work in our lives and causes us to rejoice in all that God does. That's why the Bible says in Psalm 119, verse number 18, "Open my eyes that I might behold wonderful things out of thy law." When you're praying those prayers, you're asking God to open the eyes of your soul that you might be able to see the beauty of all that God is and worship only Him.

Don't think for one moment that Daniel, outside of being terrified at what he saw, or even John, the book of Revelation, terrified about what he came to see, there was something unique about it. In fact, turn to Revelation 10 with me for a moment. We'll be in Revelation tonight to show you some things and try to get you even more confused than we did last week, but hopefully, you'll be able to see some things.

But look at Revelation 10, verse number 8. It says this: "Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me and saying, Go take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land." Excuse me. "So I went to the angel telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, Take it and eat it. It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey. I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it. And in my mouth it was sweet as honey. And when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. And they said to me, You must prophesy again concerning many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings."

Revelation 10. There's a little book. What's the little book, right? Well, the little book is now little because it was the scroll that was given from God the Father to God the Son in Revelation chapter 5. And the seven seals have already been broken, and the trumpets have already begun to blow. So by the time you get to Revelation 10, that which was a large scroll is now a little scroll. And when he takes it and he eats it, it's both bitter and sweet. Why is it bitter? Because of the total devastation of the lives of people and all the devastation upon the planet, and people suffering, and people dying without Christ. Why is it sweet? It's sweet because God is just, and God is the king of kings and lord of lords, and he's coming again. And there's something sweet about prophecy. There's something bitter about prophecy. And so John would take the book, he would eat the book, and realize that what's going on is so bitter yet so sweet. It's so terrifying yet so terrific, all in one, because that's what prophecy does.

And so the angel will say to him, "You need to continue to write down the words of this prophecy. Need to continue to record it so others will be able to read it and understand it." And so he does. And that's why we tell you that this whole prophecy thing is transforming our lives from the inside out. Listen, if you want your life to be changed, understand the prophetic future. Understand what God's doing in His plans by reading what the Bible says, because it does transform the life.

But then, fourthly, we said, not only was it terrifying and terrific and transforming, but what was number four? Anyone remember? Now you're all alive. It was triumphant, right? And why is it triumphant? Because the king rules, the king is coming again. He overcomes the world. He overcomes the prince of the power of the air. He overcomes the demons. He overcomes everything that's wicked. And he is a triumphant one. That's why prophecy has a triumphant effect upon our lives. We are overcomers. We are able to realize that because we serve the Chief One who is the ultimate overcomer, and we are joint heirs with Christ, we too now overcome. We too are triumphant. In the end, we win. We don't lose because Christ wins in the end. And therefore, prophecy has a triumphant effect upon our lives.

That's why in Revelation chapter one, verse number three, when John says these words, "Blessed is he who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and heed the things which are written in it, for the time is near." You can translate it, "The time is next." This is next on the prophetic calendar. This is what's going to happen next. Well, if it is, you and I need to understand it.

Now, when you come to the book of Daniel, Daniel now is seeing what is coming next. And through his prophecy, we begin to understand the vision that he receives, how the future of the world begins to unfold.

So, let me add this. Prophecy has a certain effect upon our lives. It has a terrifying effect. It has a terrific effect. It has a transforming effect. It has a triumphant effect, but it also has a troubling effect. There are so many things that are troubling when we read prophecy. Things that confuse us, things that we don't understand, things that we sometimes get mixed up. Unlike any other topic in the scriptures, prophecy can be very troubling for us. It was troubling for Daniel.

But see, Daniel didn't have Revelation. We have the book of Revelation. So it's not nearly as troubling for us as we will see tonight as it was for Daniel when he received the vision in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar, because we have the book of Revelation that unfolds for us all the more about who these beasts are, and who this last beast is that comes forth from the sea. Because we have the book of Revelation. And yet, even in the midst of that, there are so many troubling aspects to prophecy. And yet, prophecy is so important to the maturity of the believer, to the walk of the believer, because of its effect upon the believer, unlike any other part of Scripture. That's why it's so incredibly important.

So, because there's this troubling effect, turn back with me to the book of Daniel, the seventh chapter. Daniel chapter seven. It begins in verse number one this way: "In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel saw in a night vision in his mind as he lay on his bed, then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it." Daniel said, "I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion, and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground, and made to stand on two feet like a man. A human mind also was given to it. And behold another beast, a second one, resembling a bear, and it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth. And thus they said to it, Arise, devour much meat. After this, I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this, I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying, and extremely strong, and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet. And it was different from all the beasts that were before it. And it had ten horns. While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them. And three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it and behold this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth uttering great boasts."

Now you're really confused, right? Now you're really troubled. How do you ever figure out what that means? How can you even begin to understand these four different beasts? How can you begin to comprehend what's happening in Daniel's dream? Now he's going to ask for clarification. He's going to ask for clarification surrounding the fourth beast, because that's the one that troubles him the most. And we'll see next week how the angel gives him an answer to the identification of this fourth beast and how he comes to power.

But the question for you and me is: if I'm sitting at home and I'm laying in my bed or I'm sitting next to my nightstand and I want to pick up my Bible and read Daniel chapter 7 and I read this, how do I ever come to grips with what this even begins to mean, right? I'm sure that you've read prophecy, you've read the book of Revelation, and you read about a beast with ten horns and seven heads. It's like something out of a Marvel movie, right? Something that's so fictitious, how can this even begin to be true? But it is. It's the living and abiding word of God.

Well, last week we told you. We looked at the arrival of the king. We saw in verse number 9, as he kept looking, right? Until thrones were set up, and the ancient of days took his seat. We took you to Revelation 4, Revelation 5, to show you how John adds to that vision, to show you what's exactly happening. And then we went on to read in Revelation 13 how he kept looking 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. He was given a kingdom.

So, Daniel is seeing the arrival of the king. That's the crux of Daniel 7. The Messiah is coming. We told you last week, this arrival of a king is not something that Daniel first saw. Genesis chapter 49, verse number 10. Numbers 24, verse number 17. 1 Samuel. 2 Samuel chapter 7. Read about it with the David covenant. Psalm 89, Psalm 110. So it's not something that just happened all of a sudden. Daniel knew about a coming Messiah who would be king.

So in this night vision, he sees the ancient of days, the father of the universe. And he sees coming up to the ancient days one like a son of man. He sees the arrival of King Messiah. All important. Why? Because he knows through prophecy that the king is coming. Jeremiah 2, 5 and 6, Isaiah 9, verse number 6. We can go on and give you a plethora of verses in the Old Testament before the book of Daniel that speaks to you concerning the arrival of a king. This is the king. This is how Daniel could teach the Magi about a king who would come because the king, according to Numbers 24, was a star, and they were astrologists, and they would be able to understand what it meant to worship and follow the stars. They understood all this stuff. So in Matthew chapter 2, they show up. Where is he? Who's king of the Jews? They knew a king was coming. All this plays into Daniel's vision.

But what Daniel didn't see and completely understand was the two comings of the Messiah. How he would come to redeem man, and then he would come to pour out his retribution upon man. All Daniel sees is the Son of Man coming in clouds of great glory. That's what he sees. He doesn't understand all the nuances concerning the two different comings.

Now, if I was to read to you the twelfth article of the Jewish creed, which says, "I believe with a perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah, and though he tarries, I will wait daily for his coming." We would all say amen to that. Except for this fact, that we are waiting for his second coming, not his first coming. The Jewish nation is waiting for his first coming. Because what they saw and understood was what Daniel saw and understood: that this Messiah was going to come in great clouds of glory, and he would be a conquering warrior. Dominion would be his. His kingdom would be his. He would rule. That's what they saw, right? And yet they missed so many of the Old Testament passages that spoke about both comings of the Messiah.

For instance, Zechariah chapter twelve. Book of Zechariah, 12th chapter, 10th verse, says, "I will pour out on the house of Israel." This is the Lord God of Israel speaking. "I will pour out on the house of David, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication. So that they will look on me, whom they have pierced." So you talk to a Jewish person and you say, "Wait a minute, this is the God of Israel speaking, but because God's a spirit," would God ever be pierced? He can't pierce a spirit. And yet, that's exactly what the prophet Zechariah says. It says, "They will look on me whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him." Wait a minute, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa what mean "mourn for him"? "As one mourns for an only son, they will weep bitterly over him, like the bitter weeping over a firstborn." Now, if you talk to a Jewish person, they'll say Zechariah chapter 12, Zechariah 13, Zechariah 14, all about the coming of the Messiah. But wait a minute. When was God pierced? God can't be pierced unless God became a man. "And they will look on him whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him." And they will mourn for him profusely. Well, that's Revelation 1, verse number 7. As the nations of the world look upon the Messiah and they mourn for him, and as Israel mourns for him.

But they would see this as the arrival of the Messiah, Zechariah chapter 14. What takes place in Zechariah chapter 14, verse number 9? "And the Lord will be king over all the earth in that day, the Lord will be the only one, his name the only one." The day is coming, it says. He's going to stand on the Mount of Olives. This is how they see King Jesus coming. This is what Daniel saw in King Jesus or King Messiah coming. Daniel didn't know his name was Jesus at the time, but King Messiah was coming.

But what about Zechariah 9, verse number 9? Just go back a few pages. Zechariah 9, verse number 9, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you. He is just and endowed with salvation. Humble and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey." Well, wait a minute. I thought he was coming in clouds of great glory. He is. But, as you recall, Luke chapter 19. The daughters of Jerusalem were rejoicing greatly. Why? Because they saw Christ coming into Jerusalem on the backside of a donkey. And what do they do? They wave palm branches, right? Something you don't do at Passover. But it was Passover. And they waved palm branches. Why did they wave palm branches? Why? Because they believed that the king was coming, and when the king comes, there's this great celebration. That's what the whole Feast of Booths or the Feast of Tabernacles is all about, where you take your palm branches, you live out in thatched huts in the backyard, anticipating the arrival of the king who will then dwell among you. And they took off their garments and they laid them down in front of the donkey so that they could walk all over them. As if I'm giving you my all, I am submitting myself to you. All symbolic of somebody totally submitting to the king. That's what they were doing. They rejoiced greatly because their king had come. A fulfillment of Zechariah 9, verse number 9.

But as soon as a couple of days passed, he didn't overthrow Rome. He didn't set up his throne in Jerusalem and do what they thought he should do. They wanted him crucified. But all that was the fulfillment of Isaiah chapter 53, Psalm chapter 16. Psalm chapter 22. And you can go on and on about the fulfillment of his crucifixion all throughout the Old Testament, even Zechariah chapter 12. Excuse me, Zechariah chapter 13, verse number 7. "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man, the mighty man, my associate, or one who is my equal. Declares the Lord of hosts, strike the shepherd and the sheep, that the sheep may be scattered." That was fulfilled in the book of Matthew, when the shepherd was stricken and the sheep scattered.

You see, the Old Testament taught both comings of the Messiah. And we have the great privilege of connecting all the little dots that come together to show that everything was beautifully portrayed perfectly all throughout the Old Testament. So when Daniel is seeing this vision in Daniel 7, he doesn't know what you know.

That's why Jesus said of John the Baptist, right, the greatest man born of a woman. That's what Jesus said. Here is the greatest man ever born of any woman. And yet, those of you who are least in the kingdom are greater than John. Pray tell, how does that happen? John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah, is called by Jesus the greatest man ever born of a woman. And he was. Why? Because he was the last Old Testament prophet. He was the first New Testament preacher. And he proclaimed the arrival of the Messiah. It was all prophesied about John's coming, right? And yet John would say to the Pharisees, "I'm going to baptize you with water, because one coming after me is going to baptize you with fire." Fire. Why? Because he knew what Daniel 7 was all about. The arrival of the Messiah. And he was a forerunner of the Messiah. He had spent all his time studying in the Judean wilderness, the Old Testament. So he would come like a locomotive right out of the Judean wilderness preaching the gospel. "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is before you, it's right at hand." And the king came.

But he was imprisoned. John couldn't understand why he was imprisoned if he's the fulfiller of Daniel 7, and yet he sent his disciples to ask, "Is Jesus the expected one, the Messiah that we've longed for?" And that's when Jesus says, "John the Baptist, greatest man ever born of a woman, but yet those of you who are least in the kingdom are greater than John." How can that be? Because you see, we understand more than John ever knew. We connect all the dots. We understand the prophecy. We understand the two comings. We understand the first coming and its preaching and teaching throughout the Old Testament. We understand the second coming as it was taught in the Old Testament. We understand the fulfillment of Isaiah 53. We get it all, we understand it. And we are able to communicate that to other people so they understand the coming of the king. How great is that?

That's why prophecy is so transforming, so terrific, so triumphant. Why? Because we get it, we understand it. We understand so much more than Daniel did, so much more than John the Baptist did, so much more than Zacharias did, so much more than any Old Testament prophet did, because we have the end completed with the New Testament and what the Bible says.

Having said that, we saw the arrival of the king last week, and then the attributes of his kingdom last week. This week, the account of that kingdom by looking at the setting for its coming and the sequence to its coming.

There's a setting. It's in Daniel 7, the first couple of verses. Where it says these words: "In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed, and he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it." Daniel said, "I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea." Okay, so the first question comes: what is the Great Sea? This is the setting, right? Before we get to the sequence of the account of the coming king of his kingdom, we need to understand the setting.

Daniel sees in a vision a great sea. Now, if you've been to Israel, you know there are four seas. There is the Dead Sea. There is the Red Sea, there is the Mediterranean Sea, and then there is the Sea of Galilee. Okay? Sea of Galilee is a big lake. Seven miles wide, four miles long. Okay? That's not the Great Sea. And then you have the Dead Sea.

Okay? Dead Sea. Dead Sea about 10 miles wide, 50 miles long. That is not the Great Sea. Then you have the Red Sea. The Red Sea around 1 to 170 miles wide, 1,200 miles long. That is not the Great Sea. And then you had the Mediterranean Sea. That is a Great Sea. But the question is, is it this great sea? Right? Daniel is on the shore of a great sea. Now I've been to the Mediterranean Sea. I've stood on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. I've stood in the balcony on the tenth floor of my hotel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. It is a great sea. And I've seen when the winds blow the turbulence of the waves and how they roar and how they splash. So I've seen all that. Daniel is on the shore of a great sea. Question is: Is it the Mediterranean Sea? Because what he sees from the sea are four beasts that rise from the sea.

Interestingly, W.B.A. Criswell, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas many years ago, said this: "The sea is shaken to its depths by the four raging winds of heaven. The numeral four in apocalyptic literature is a numeral representing the world. The four winds of the heavens, the four seasons, the four corners of the compass all represent the whole earth. The raging sea, so distressed and convulsed, is a picture of social revolution and the passions of humanity. Daniel sees humanity as a great sea that is shaken from its center to its circumference, from its height to its depth, it is a turbulent, tumultuous sea of human life."

Now we know from Revelation seventeen: fifteen that the sea is more than water. The sea encompasses the nations. Three different times in the book of Isaiah. If we had time, we'd go back to the book of Isaiah and read it. There is so much there in Isaiah about the sea being the nations of the world. And so it could very well be, I would think it's this, that as Daniel in his vision is on the shore of this great sea, he's looking at the great sea of humanity in all of its distress, in all of its turbulence, in all of its upheaval. We understand this, right? We can look at the nations of the world today. What do we see? Turbulence, upheaval? All kinds of disunity, all kinds of difficulties all around the globe, right? This is what Daniel's seen, but he sees it because of what's about to take place. Not just for his nation Israel, but for all the kingdoms of the world.

So that's the setting of Daniel's vision. He overlooks the great sea, the sea of nations, the sea of every tribe, tongue, and people. And what's he see? Nothing but turmoil. Nothing but upheaval. Nothing but hardship. Nothing but pain. Nothing but problem. Why? Because of sin. And from that sea come four beasts.

Four beasts. And note that they are like something. Okay? They are like a lion. They are like a bear. They are like a leopard. It doesn't say they are a lion or they are a bear or they are a leopard. They're like a lion, like a bear, like a leopard. Okay? So that's very important to understanding what it is he's talking about.

And so you have to realize that as you read this, you have to parallel this account with Daniel chapter 2. And the great vision that Nebuchadnezzar had about this monument of an image. Remember that? It was made up of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and then feet of iron and clay. Remember that? So the question is, why the change in visions? Why doesn't God use the same kind of typology? Why does he change it? The answer is very simple. Nebuchadnezzar's vision is from a human perspective. And from a human perspective, the kingdoms of the world are tremendous. The kingdoms of the world are monumental. The kingdoms of the world are great, huge, wonderful. But Daniel's vision is from God's perspective. And how does God see the kingdoms of the world? Ugly, ferocious, defeating, debilitating. God sees them completely different than man sees them. That's why there's this change in the analogy. That is why there's this change in the figures. So, you can begin to understand the difference between God's perspective and man's perspective. That's the whole setting, right? You get that? You understand that, right?

So, now here comes a sequence. You got the first beast is like a lion. Second beast, like a bear. Third beast, like a leopard.

First beast is like a lion. But the lion has what on it? Wings. Lions don't have wings. Ah. But listen, if you were an archaeologist and you were involved in the digs around ancient Babylon, you would know that in the digging up of ancient Babylon they found the gates to the palace of Babylon, and on the gates were symbols of lions with wings. So now you begin to understand the parallel between what's happening here in Daniel 7 and what took place in Daniel chapter 2. And why the wings? Well, the wings would explain to us the passion by which Babylon would move. Now, notice this. If you go back to what Jeremiah 4, Jeremiah 49, Ezekiel 17, Habakkuk chapter 1, you'll realize that Daniel's contemporaries spoke of Babylon by two figures: a lion and an eagle. And the lion in Daniel 7 has the wings of an eagle. So the contemporaries, that's why you have to read Scripture and compare Scripture with Scripture. Why? Because Scripture interprets Scripture. Very important to understand that.

And so that's why Daniel doesn't ask a question about beast one, two, or three. He only asked the question about beast number four and why that is so unique. He doesn't ask the question about beasts 1, 2, or 3. Because in Daniel's mind, he's beginning to put 2 and 2 together. He remembers Nebuchadnezzar's dream. He remembers all that took place. He knows about the gates of Babylon and the lion and the wings upon the lion. So he knows those kind of things. So, beast number one is Babylon.

Beast number two would have to be Medo-Persia. And that's symbolized by a bear, a powerful bear, fierce and ferocious. If you go back to Isaiah chapter 13, verses 17 to 18, you read about how the Medes and the Persians would come in and destroy Babylon. It was all prophesied. And how it would absolutely tramp them and destroy them with great veracity because that's how they would come upon Babylon. Now, remember, this is in the first year of Belshazzar's reign. So Babylon hasn't been defeated yet when this vision occurs. The book of Daniel is a lot like the book of Revelation. The first six chapters are historical. But chapter 7 and chapter 8 take you back into the history to show you the visions, the first two visions that Daniel received to kind of fill in the blanks. Same thing is true with the book of Revelation. You have to understand that when you read Revelation.

So, this is in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar. He gets this vision. So, the Medes and the Persians have yet to come and destroy Babylon. They're coming, but they haven't come yet. But Isaiah 13 would prophesy about how the Medes and the Persians would destroy the Babylonians. So, Daniel can put two and two together. He's already got Daniel chapter two in his mind. He already knows about the writing of Isaiah 100 years before his time. So, he knows how to put two and two together and begins to understand prophecy. So should we. He also has beast number three. Why is half of the bear raised up? Oh, that's because the Persians would dominate the Medes and they would become the higher power. And why are there three ribs in its mouth? Most commentators will tell you those are the three major enemies of the Persians, which were Babylon, Egypt, and Lydia.

Then you go to vision number three, or same vision, beast number three, and that's the leopard with wings. Well, that would be Greece. If you follow Daniel chapter 2, look at Daniel chapter 7, you would know that Alexander, with great speed, great rapidity, he would run, and he would just destroy the nations of the world. Unlike anybody before him, as quickly as he did. Why does it have four heads? Because he had four generals. Remember that? He had four generals. He had Cassander. He had Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy. Those four generals, the kingdom will be divided between those four men.

And then you have a fourth beast. But the fourth beast isn't characterized by any animal. Why is that? We're going to show you in a second. But what does it say about the fourth beast in verse number seven? It says these words: "After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful, terrifying, extremely strong, had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet. And it was different from all the beasts that were before it." There's something unique about this beast. It's not like a leopard. It's not like a lion. It's not like a bear. It's not like anything he's ever seen before. Completely different. But what it does, it's dreadful. It's terrifying.

Well, if you follow along, this would be Rome. Right? Rome would reign for 1,500 years, longer than any other world empire. And they would reign in a unique and special way, and they would be used in a great way. But if this is Rome, right? And the Messiah is coming next. How come Messiah is not here? Why isn't Messiah here? If the fourth beast is Rome, which I believe it is, okay, why is it now in the vision Messiah comes, he sets up his kingdom, and he's not here? Well, that's a great question. Because this beast, according to what it says, has ten horns. Now, why is that important? Why does this beast have ten horns? Because Daniel is going to ask the question. And he's going to get the answer next week. He's going to get the answer in his vision, but he's going to get it next week for you and me, right?

But let me let you in on something. This is why you and I are greater than John the Baptist.

Turn to Revelation chapter 13. Revelation chapter 13. I wish I could go through all of Revelation again with you. It is such a powerful book. Revelation 13 takes you back to help you understand the rise of Antichrist during the tribulation. Revelation 12 is a key chapter in the entire Bible. Because Revelation 12 is the history of the entire Bible. Okay? From the very beginning in Genesis chapter 1. To the very end to the book of Revelation. It's all in Revelation chapter 12. Okay? Sorry, yes. Revelation chapter 12. Okay? Thank you for paying attention. That's good. You guys are still awake. I'm glad. Okay? At least this side is saying, oh, here's asleep. But you guys are awake over here. That's great.

And so, yeah, in the book of Revelation. And so, what you have is this entire chapter that deals with the history of the world. And boy, I wish I could talk to you about it because it's all about how Satan, from the very beginning, wants to thwart the plan of God. How he tries to kill the child of the woman, the woman's Israel, the child's Messiah. How he chases the woman into the wilderness, how he goes after the woman in the wilderness, right? But he can't defeat the woman, so because he can't defeat the woman, he goes after everybody else who are children of the women, that's the Gentile people that are giving their lives to Christ.

So when you come to Revelation 13, verse number 1, it says this: "And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore." Hmm, who's the dragon? That's Satan. How do we know that? Well, it says in Revelation 12, verse number 9, "The great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old, who was called the devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world." Okay? So we know who the dragon is. The dragon is Satan. Right? It says, "And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore." What is the seashore? Well, the seashore simply are the nations of the world. It says in Revelation 20, in verse number 8, these words. It says, "And will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war." The number of them is like the sand of the seas.

So here is Satan. He's been thrown down. He is out of heaven. Remember, where is Satan? Satan is in heaven. Satan is not in hell. Satan is in heaven. Revelation 12:10. He's before the throne of grace day and night. Accusing the brethren. That's where he is. Anyone want to know where the devil is? He's in heaven, right? But in Revelation 12, he's cast down.

Wait a minute, though. I thought he was cast out of heaven way back before Genesis chapter 3. Well, he was cast out morally, but not geographically. He's not cast out of heaven geographically until Revelation chapter 12. And now he's come down to earth. Why is he cast out, by the way, in Revelation 12? Because you see, he can't be in heaven if the church is in heaven. Why? Because he can't accuse the brethren any longer because they're already there. No need to accuse them. They're already there. So he's no longer there. He's cast out of heaven. That's why Revelation 12 is the history of the world. And Michael casts him out. He's come down to earth.

And now that he's on earth, Revelation 9 is all about how those four angels that have been chained at the great river Euphrates. God now lets him loose, and a 200 million army of demons begin to run rampant over the earth. People used to think that was Red China years ago. They had an army of 200 million. It's not China. Okay? They're demons that go all around the world. Why? Because Satan is down on earth. That's why the tribulation is as horrific as it is. Because the world is filled with demons that run all over the place. Satan is not bound. He's on earth, right? And he empowers. One man. He's called the beast or the Antichrist.

So it says, "Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea." Okay, so what sea is this? Mediterranean Sea, Dead Sea, Red Sea? What sea is this? Well, some would say it's the Sea of Nations, which it very well could be. Book of Isaiah. Right? Revelation 17, verse number 15. Could be a sea of nations, or it could be the abyss. Because in the Old Testament, seven different times. The sea is referred to as the abyss. So it could be the abyss itself. And so he says, "Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having what?" Ten horns. Well, that takes you back to Daniel 7, right? Ten horns. Remember Daniel chapter two? He had ten what?

Ten toes, right? Ten toes. Daniel 7, 10 horns. Now, listen, before you start thinking, okay, 10 horns is 10 kings, there's 10 kingdoms, that must mean it must be the European common market and all that kind of stuff. Just hold on a second, okay? 10 is the number of totality. Okay? A number of completeness. How many toes do you have in your feet? Ten. How many fingers do you have in your hand? Ten, right? It's the number of totality. It could be ten kingdoms because they are ten kings who have ten diadems. And maybe the Antichrist is going to divvy up the nation into ten zones with ten kings because it's going to encompass the totality of the world. So please don't read too much into the text, but understand exactly what the text is saying.

You have this beast that comes out of the sea. It could be the Sea of Nations. It could be the abyss. Both probably are true because the Antichrist does come from the nations of the world and is infused and possessed by demons from the abyss. So both are true, right? And he has ten horns. But, but, it says he also has seven heads. So what are the seven heads? It's not really that difficult to understand. But note this. "And on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. And the beast which I saw was like what's the next word?" A leopard. "His feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion." Now they got in reverse from Daniel 7, right? In Daniel 7, it's lion, bear, leopard. Here it's leopard, bear, lion.

But this is what the beast is like. Now listen carefully. Why is that? Because this is the vision that John sees, Daniel sees in Daniel 7: the fourth beast. He's like a bear, he's like a leopard, he's like a lion, he's like all of them together. And why is he like that? Because he is a composite of all the kingdoms of the world, because he comes with all the power of all the kingdoms of the world. That's why he's seen as one like a leopard, one like a bear, and one like a lion. He's not a bear. He's not a leopard. He's not a lion. But he's like them. Very important to understand that.

So, why does he have seven heads? Revelation 17. Got to finish this, so turn quickly. Revelation 17, verse number 8. "The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction." What beast is that? Well, if you go back to Revelation 13, we realize that the beast was. Is not and is again. So people would believe that the Antichrist, whoever he is, dies. And rises again from the dead. I don't think that's the case. Satan is the great deceiver of the world. It's going to look like a death. It's going to look like a resurrection to make you believe it was a death and resurrection. Satan doesn't have power to give life to people. Only God has that power. And so it's because he's a master deceiver, he was, was not, and he is again. And so it says these words: He's going to destruction.

And those who dwell on the earth, very important phrase, used 10 plus times in the book of Revelation, always dealing with The people of the world, the unbeliever, those who dwell upon the earth. Okay? That is, it's not a geographical term, it is a moral term. They are earth dwellers. They love the world. "Who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast that he was and is not and will come." They're going to wonder his resurrection. They're going to wonder at his death.

"Here is the mind which has wisdom." Did you get that? "Here is the mind that has wisdom." This isn't for the weak of heart. This isn't for the easily fainting person. This is for the mind that has wisdom. So put your thinking caps on.

Very important. "The seven heads are seven mountains." People say, well, that must be Rome, because Rome was a city built on seven mountains, seven hills, right? Well, yes and no. Don't go too far down the road with that. It's very important to understand this. "The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits." Who's the woman? Well, the woman is a false prophet. "And they are seven kings." So whatever the seven mountains are, they are seven kings. Did you get that? You understand that, right? It tells you the seven mountains, they are seven kings. We get that. That's exactly what the Bible says. "Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come." Now you're really confused. Right? Five have fallen, one is, and one has not yet come. So explain that. But that's easy. Which time during John's day are the five kingdoms that have fallen? Egypt, Assyria? Babylon, the Medes and the Persians, and Greece. What's the one that is? Rome. What's the one that is not, but is yet to come?

The kingdom of the Antichrist.

Okay? You with me so far? Now read this. "And when he comes, he must remain a little while. The beast which was and is not is him also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction." Whoa, what does that mean? He's one of the seven, but he is the eighth. Oh, that's easy. That's very simple. There are five. They have fallen. There is one that is. It's Rome. There is one that's going to come, and that's the kingdom of the Antichrist, which we'll look into next week in Daniel chapter 7. He rules that, okay, but that kingdom, okay, will be devoured. By the Antichrist, he will become the ruler of them. So the seventh kingdom is the eighth kingdom ruled by the Antichrist. Make sense? That's exactly what it says. You say, well, I'm so confused now. That's okay. Get my tape on this. It's really, really good. Okay?

But see, you need to understand what's happening here. You have ten horns. Which are ten kingdoms, or the totality of ten kings who rule ten kingdoms, but are the totality of world rulership. Under which one little horn, Daniel chapter seven, will rise. Right? He'll rise from among the ten, and he'll rise to power. And he'll envelop the ten. He'll become the eighth kingdom, the eighth head in Revelation 13, because he needs to be what? He needs not just to be a military ruler. Not just a political ruler, not just an economic ruler. He has to be what? A religious ruler, right?

And so now he's going to go and destroy the woman, the harlot, because he has to have religious power. It does you no good to have power militarily if you don't have power religiously. He knows that. He demands to be worshipped. He has to be worshipped. He can't be worshipped as a military leader. He must be worshipped as a military religious leader. And that's why he is the eighth. Make sense? Of course it does. But next week we'll unveil it for you all the more.

All this to say this. Listen, prophecy, it's terrifying. Prophecy, terrific, transforming, triumphant. But it can be troubling at times. Because you get confused about all the mountains and all the seas and all the heads and all the horns and all the toes and all the lions and leopards and bears, right? You get confused. This is for the mind of the wise, right? This is why you need to study it, understand it. Why? Because this is where the world's going. And if the world's going that direction, right? You need to be able to help people understand where the world's going so you can show them how they need to be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

Let me pray with you. Father, we thank you for tonight, the opportunity you give us to study your word. So much to learn, so little time to learn it. Our prayer, Father, is that you'd whet our appetite to learn all the more, that we might come to grips with the reality of your coming again. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.