Daniel 7 (Pt 1)

Daniel 7:1 (ESV)

[1] In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter.

 Daniel’s vision of four beasts in chapter 7 left him anxious and alarmed (Dan 7:15), so he asked the meaning of the vision. You would think that after an explanation of the vision Daniel’s anxiety would disappear, but that is not the case. After the explanation Daniel wrote, “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart” (Dan 7:28).

 What is going on here that has Daniel so deeply concerned? He was told that the beasts are four kings. It is the fourth king that has Daniel so troubled. Daniel 7:23 (ESV)

[23] “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,

there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,

which shall be different from all the kingdoms,

and it shall devour the whole earth,

and trample it down, and break it to pieces.

That is enough to cause anyone to go pale. This is a kingdom different from all other kingdoms. It is a worldwide kingdom whose characteristic is devastation and destruction. It is enough to leave Daniel pale and alarmed.

There is good news in the vision, but the bad news is so overwhelming that Daniel hardly takes notice of it. The Son of Man came before the Ancient of Days, and

             [14] And to him was given dominion

and glory and a kingdom,

that all peoples, nations, and languages

should serve him;

his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

which shall not pass away,

and his kingdom one

that shall not be destroyed.

 That is the kingdom Jesus talked so much about. That is the kingdom that believers in Jesus Christ have been given a down payment on in the form of the indwelling Holy Spirit. That is the kingdom we anticipate and look forward to. And yet, with Daniel, the earthly kingdom often leaves us pale and alarmed. The worldwide kingdom of destruction is the bad news. The kingdom of the Son of Man is the good news. There is hope even in the darkness.

 Few people really like change. We have our established rhythms of life that we are comfortable with. We go to work. We go to the grocery store. We take time off for rest and recreation, at least some of us do. These rhythms are what we are comfortable with. When someone comes in and forces a change on us, we get anxious. Just look at the worldwide effect of Covid-19. People are wearing masks. People are not allowed to gather as they once did. Life is changing. In reaction people are anxious. People are irritated. People look for someone to blame.

 The truth is, nothing stays the same. Life changes. People get old. People get diseases. People die. Change is forced on us. But there is hope in the darkness. Whether we are facing a worldwide kingdom of destruction, the devastating news of untreatable cancer, or simply the requirement to wear a mask that makes it difficult to breath, there is good news. In the darkness, may we keep our eyes fixed on the good news of the Son of Man.

 In his kingdom all things will be set right. Death comes to an end. Pain comes to an end. War, disease, and earthly politics come to an end. “His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Dan 7:14). In the darkest of times may we take heart in the good news of the King who is coming again.