The Kingdom is Coming
23. Thus he said, the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be different from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25. And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
26. But the Judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
27. And the Kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.
Daniel 7:23-27
Vital Information
Daniel’s prophecies are filled with descriptions of kingdoms that have ruled and will rule the world in the coming future. It is evident that God was showing Daniel the future of the world in order to give him a firm foundation to stand on despite the changing times. Prophecy is not to be considered a mystery to God’s people. It is to be considered a roadmap and a Divine Agenda for what God plans to do. Prophecy in every way is vital information for those who walk by faith.
Why do you think the Lord would reveal these prophecies to Daniel? Please understand that Daniel was not God’s only prophet, but he was considered one of the Lord’s faithful servants. We have discovered several things about Daniel’s character that demonstrated his commitment to God’s work. First, Daniel was a devoted man who believed in doing things God’s way. When offered royal food, this man chose a simple diet of vegetables in order to avoid placing anything in his body that had been dedicated to pagan idols. We discover also that Daniel was a faithful man. Kings relied on his superior intellect and skillful ability to understand mysteries, difficult messages, and even dreams. Not only was Daniel devoted and dependable, but he was also a praying man that knew the worth of spending time with God. He devoted his life to praying three times a day where He gave thanks and spent time conversing with Almighty God. While the Bible speaks of King David as a man after God’s own heart, we must not overlook Daniel as a man “greatly beloved of his God.” This leads us to the fourth observation about Daniel. I believe he was a man that could be trusted to relay vital information. The proof is in the amazing prophetic gift that God gave him. It is this information that is vital to every child of God that is alive during these times. God has, in every sense of the term, provided us with necessary information to live out our lives with confidence.
How do we know that this is vital information? The prophecy that Daniel was given contains not only the description of what he saw but also the Divine explanation. There is no “guess work.” It was clear and concise information that would be needed by God’s people. Daniel even asked the Angel to explain certain details so that all who read the prophecy would receive insight and wisdom.
God Almighty gave vital information through Daniel’s prophecy that was reliable and accurate. It was going to happen. In other words, the Word was issued about the future to give clarity to the child of God who might be struggling with questions of “why these things are unfolding in our times.” Even if we don’t fully understand “why” we can say with certainty that God said it would come to pass. That is what vital information does. It gives you something to hold on to while you are waiting to take the next step of faith.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the vital information of prophecy is the promise that God makes. It is here in this prophetic utterance of Daniel that God Almighty makes a promise that His Kingdom is Coming. Not only will it be the greatest of all kingdoms, but it will also be an everlasting kingdom. That is God’s promise. Daniel watched as the vision unfolded. Just when it looked as if the Saints had lost and the Beast of the fourth kingdom would rule for ever, God put an end to it all. Daniel said, I looked and the same horn made war with the Saints and prevailed against them … until the Ancient of Days came, and Judgment was given to the Saints of the Most High; and the time came that the Saints possessed the Kingdom. At this point I must join with Louie Armstrong and shout “O when the Saints go marching in.” What a glorious time that will be! While there are other events that will take place in the future, we must never take our eye off of the promise that God makes. The time will come for the Saints of the Most High to possess the kingdom. With that reminder, we are certain that the Kingdom is Coming.
The Good News of Delivering Bad News
It is very interesting that Daniel was greatly troubled as a result of receiving such powerful insight into the future. Chapter Seven of Daniel closes with the prophet confessing that his thoughts troubled him and even his countenance changed, but he kept the matter to himself. I do believe that God comforted Daniel in regard to this tremendous revelation of the coming kingdoms. This would partly explain why the Lord showed him other visions and insights of what was to come. Here are several things that we must make note of from Daniel’s prophecy. First, these kingdoms are described as “beasts that will dominate the world scene.” That term is a reference to their brutality and approach to ruling the nations. These are not nice guys. They are just that, powerful kingdoms that will display the “beast-like” characteristics by which they are described. Second, these kingdoms will only serve for a limited amount of time. They will not rule forever. Their power will eventually be destroyed. The not so good news is that third, they will persecute those that are known as Saints of God. In their quest to dominate the world, these kingdoms will be ungodly and resistant to God’s authority. They will take out their hostility towards righteousness by attacking the people of God.
At this point, we refer to the teachings of Jesus. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My Sake … rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in Heaven: for so they persecuted the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:11-12. The good news is that we do not need to be alarmed at the persecution. Nor do we need to react sadly to the oppression: we are to rejoice and be exceeding glad.
In another passage Jesus shared that the sadness of the times should never cause us to lose our focus on the Heavenly Father. Jesus said, I have told you these things before they come to pass so that when they do come to pass you will remember that I told you of these things. John 16:4. We should not only be encouraged to rejoice, but to also remember that Jesus said that these thing would happen. It is with that warning that we must look up and realize that God’s Kingdom is on the way. Jesus told us these things in order to keep us from being shocked by the events that take place in the world. Our resolve, our comfort, and even our rejoicing can be based on the fact that we are one day closer to our Father coming to judge the world.
Daniel describes that great day as the Thrones being set. Until the Judgment, the ungodly will seek to impose havoc on the world. It started with the brutality of the Babylonian kingdom that Daniel described as the first beast. The lion with eagle’s wings would spread its authority over the known world and conquer everything that got in its way. But the Babylonian rule was only for about five hundred years. When they conquered Palestine, they were entering into their final century of rulership under Nebuchadnezzar’s authority. That kingdom was deposed in 539 B.C.E. as the Medes invaded Babylon.
Daniel then saw in the vision, the second empire in the form of a bear. Again, the vision contained violent terms as this kingdom would “devour until it was full.” This was the Medes and Persian empire. They would reign from 539 B.C.E. until around 330 B.C.E., when a vicious ruler named Alexander the Great would enter the world stage. This brought about the third world power, the Greek Empire. Again, another kingdom was destroyed and a third world government replaced it. After the death of Alexander, the Grecian empire was divided into four regions that were governed by the generals of his Greek army. This government was represented by Daniel’s description as a leopard. This would no doubt, be a reference to how swiftly Alexander was able to “crush and devour his victims and trample them under his feet.” But as the other kingdoms before it, the Grecian kingdom would come to an end.
It is important to note that regardless of how powerful and regardless of the extent of these earthly kingdoms, they are only temporary. The good news in all of this is that every earthly kingdom has an expiration date. Every earthly king will only rule for as long as God Almighty allows. They will all eventually pass away.
Then Daniel describes the fourth kingdom as being different from all the preceding governments. That was the Roman empire that was depicted as having iron teeth and ten horns on its head. The Romans came to power around 48 B.C.E. with a ruler by the name of Julius Caesar. Historians say the Julius declared himself as the “emperor” which literally means, supreme or sovereign ruler. Isn’t that interesting? What is even more interesting is the fact that there were ten horns. Daniel later described these as ten nations that would comprise the Roman Empire. The first phase of this empire extended through the time of Christ until the year of 476 A.D. or roughly 500 years. Most historians credit the empire officially beginning with Augustus Caesar and the taxing of the world. You recall the reading in Luke 2 which states, and it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed … and all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. That was the Old Roman Empire.
The not so good news is that the Roman Empire is about to rise again. Some believe that this neo-Roman Empire will come out of the nations that are now currently members of the European Common Union. Other theologians suggest that they will be nations that will be organized under the anti-Christ. No one is certain exactly when this empire will exert its dominance over the world. What we do know is that it is going to happen. We also know that the anti-Christ forces of this fourth Roman kingdom will wage war against the Saints and overpower them. This beast will also speak blasphemy and boastful words against the Lord of Heaven. But that is not how the story ends. In the time of the end, the Ancient of Days will appear. He will cast down the beast and his throne. Daniel states (Dan. 7:12) that he looked until the beast was killed, and his body was destroyed and given to the burning flame. Here we have a picture of the final destruction of all earthly kingdoms and the beginning of God’s rulership on earth. Glory be to God! But the Judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end … And the Kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and all dominions shall serve and obey Him. Daniel then affirms that this is the end of the matter.
Like Daniel, however, we are all left with questions and are left to wonder how all of these things will come about. While many have speculated, no one really knows for certain what all this means. We do know is that the Living God will usher in His Own Kingdom on Earth and we will all spend eternity with the Lord.
Final Preparations
So, what does all of this mean for believers? It would also be very appropriate to ask the Lord, as did His Disciples, “what will be the signs of the times and of Your return to judge the world?” Matthew 24:3. Like Daniel, we are left troubled about these coming events and not knowing exactly how to prepare for them.
Here are some things that I believe God would have every believer to do. While this is no check list, I do believe that it would keep us from being overwhelmed by the uncertainty in the world. First, start preparing for Heaven and not just to be comfortable in this world. This world is not your home and even if the anti-Christ should be delayed for another thousand years, you still must be ready to leave this life. It’s as plain as that. So, the admonition is to get your house in order.
Second, change your attitude towards pain and suffering for Christ. Jesus said, “rejoice and be exceeding glad when they persecute you.” We are to count or trials as joyous challenges that prove that we belong to Christ. Our Western culture tries to convince us that suffering is bad and if you know God, you should be prosperous and live happily ever after. Yet, that is not what the Bible teaches. Jesus said, “if they hated Me, they will hate you also.” The believer should therefore live joyously despite the trials and challenges that come their way.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might. Prepare yourself by putting on the Armor of God. There is no trial that can overtake you that God will not give you Grace to make it through that crisis. It has been said that there are three answers to our prayers: “Yes, No, and Wait.” I have learned that there are at least two more answers to prayers especially when we are being tested. God also says, “My Grace is sufficient for you – in your weakness My Strength is manifested.” In addition, God says, “I Am with you always.” Those are answers that we can live with. No matter what the kingdoms of men may try to do to destroy us, we will always have God. No matter what ruler is threatening our safety, God promised that He will be with us always. Remember, God’s Kingdom is Coming. Above all else, remember that you are already a part of that Kingdom. Amen!