Beastly Kingdom

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Daniel 4:34-35
• Hymn — I Sing the Almighty Power of God
• Prayer of Invocation
• Reading of the Law — Matthew 22:34-40
• Corporate Confession of Sin
• Assurance of Pardon — Ephesians 1:7-8
• Apostles' Creed
• Pastoral Prayer
• Offering
• Prayer of Dedication
• Hymn — Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
• Sermon
• Lord's Supper
• Hymn — Till He Comes
• Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26
• Doxology

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Sermon Title: Beastly Kingdoms

Scripture: Daniel 7:1-14

I. The Terror of the Beastly Kingdoms (Daniel 7:1-8)

A. Apocalyptic prophecy as a genre conveys two primary things:

1. The earthly kingdoms that are dead-set against God and his people
2. A heavenly vision of God currently at work on behalf of his persecuted people

B. The four beasts emerge from the great sea — a symbol of chaos and destruction in the ancient world

C. The first beast: a lion with eagle's wings — the Babylonian Empire, ferocious and swift

1. Jeremiah 4:7 likens the Babylonians to a lion
2. The wings plucked off and the mind of a man given to it recalls Nebuchadnezzar's humbling in Daniel 4

D. The second beast: a bear with three ribs in its mouth — the Medo-Persian Empire, a devouring power

E. The third beast: a leopard with four wings and four heads — the Macedonian Empire under Alexander the Great, swift to conquer the known world

F. The fourth beast: exceedingly terrifying with iron teeth and ten horns — the Roman Empire

1. The ten horns represent ten kings (Daniel 7:24)
2. A little horn arises and uproots three kings — interpretation deferred to next week

G. Application: Daniel prepares God's people not to expect things to get better but to recognize the beastly nature of fallen man in power

1. Lord Acton: "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely"
2. Scripture repeatedly gives advance notice of this reality; Christians should not be surprised (Matthew 24; 1 Peter 4:12)

II. The Judgment of the Beastly Kingdoms (Daniel 7:9-12)

A. A sudden shift in the vision: the Ancient of Days takes his seat

1. A theophanic vision — not a literal description of God but a picture of his infinite wisdom and authority
2. The white hair depicts wisdom; the fiery throne and wheels depict his consuming, far-reaching judgment

B. The books are opened: God the true judge has been keeping account of all the actions of these kingdoms

C. As the fourth beast makes its proud boasts, Daniel is caught up to see the heavenly courtroom — the true judge who destroys the beast and burns it with fire

D. The purpose of apocalyptic prophecy illustrated: it shows the scene behind what is seen

1. The kings think they are steering history; the camera pans up to reveal the Ancient of Days actually in control
2. Daniel, a lowly exile with the temple destroyed, receives a vision of the heavenly temple with countless angels serving God (Hebrews 12:22)
3. With eyes of faith, we see even now that the gates of hell will never prevail against the church

III. The Replacement of the Beastly Kingdoms (Daniel 7:13-14)

A. Daniel beholds one like a Son of Man — a human figure in stark contrast to the nightmarish beasts

B. The Son of Man is also divine: he comes with the clouds of heaven, a consistent theophanic symbol in Scripture

1. Jesus claims this title before Caiaphas in Matthew 26:64, which Caiaphas recognizes as a claim to divinity
2. Contrast: the beasts come out of the raging sea from below; the Son of Man comes from above (John 8)

C. The Son of Man is presented before the Ancient of Days in a scene of coronation

1. He is given dominion, glory, and a kingdom — all peoples, nations, and languages shall serve him
2. This correlates with Daniel 2:44: the God of heaven sets up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed

D. This coronation is a present reality: Christ now rules at the right hand of the Father

1. Acts 2:34-36: Peter declares that God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ, seated at his right hand
2. The Spirit is poured out from the heavenly sanctuary into the hearts of God's people from all nations
3. Christ's kingdom expands as disciples are made of every nation and tongue

E. Application: live not by sight but by faith that looks beyond the veil

1. As antichrists boast, there is one in the heavenly places who has been given all authority
2. Christ will ride on the clouds of heaven, make his enemies a footstool, and hand the kingdom to the Father (1 Corinthians 15)