God Knows the Times (Daniel 7-8)

We’re continuing in our series through the Book of Daniel, looking at how to thrive as sent ones into a world that’s not our home. We left off last week looking at the demise of King Belshazzar. He refused to humble himself, so he lost his kingdom. By chapter 6, Daniel and his friends are still in Babylon, but he’s under a different rule. But where chapter 5 told us the end of Balshazzar’s reign, as we jump into the story, chapter 7takes us back to the beginning. [v. 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.

Now remember, in chapter 1, Daniel entered Babylon as an unknown teenager. But through his courage and faith, God saw fit to elevate him. Daniel is later given the title ‘Chief of the Magicians’ because God used Daniel to interpret the dreams and visions God gave the king.  

By the time of Belshazzar’s reign, Daniel’s in his 60s and now he’s the one who needs angels from heaven to help interpret his dreams. 

And the shift in Daniel from chapter 6 to chapter 7 is dramatic. One moment, we’re reading a familiar children’s story, and then, all of a sudden, it’s like we’ve jumped into the book of Revelation—visions so intense they made Daniel pale in the face and sick for days. That’s because Daniel’s story changes from narrative to prophecy; from recounting past events to predicting future ones. These visions are meant to show God’s grand plans to a troubled people under the power of sin. 

Which means biblical prophecy isn’t meant to scare us—it’s meant to encourage and strengthen us with truth. See, amid Daniel’s trials in Babylon, God pauses the story to say, “Just a little longer, Daniel, and the end will come, and Jesus will reign forever.” 

Daniel 7-8 reminds us that God knows what time it is. Nothing is uncertain for him. While the story of human history is still being written, we know the Author who holds the pen, so we can be confident that everything will work out according to his plans. 

Pick up with me: [v. 2] – Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.  

What Daniel is about to describe may sound strange. But it’s not as unfamiliar as you might think. The four great beasts he talks about represent the same four kingdoms we saw in Daniel 2. Remember the dream about the big statue made of different metals that gets broken by the rock from heaven? Just go back and read Daniel 2. That’s what we’re talking about. So four great beasts come out of the sea:  

[v. 4] – The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. Beast #1: Babylon. Think about it: It sounds like a wild beast that gets domesticated, similar to the humbling of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 4. It says he’s been given the mind of a man. In Nebuchadnezzar’s testimony, he says he lost his mind but that it was later restored to him.   

[v. 5] – And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ Beast #2 depicts the convergence of the Medo-Persian empire that conquered Babylon. The fact that one side is raised higher than the other acknowledges that the Persians were larger than the Medes. And this bear didn’t come fasting, but feasting on the flesh of men. It was fierce and oppressive.  

[v. 6] – After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. Beast #3 depicts Alexander the Great and the conquests of the Greeks, who defeated the Medo-Persian empire.  

Earlier this week, I asked ChatGPT to rank the top 10 military leaders in world history, which is subjective. But it generated a list that included names like Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, and Napoleon. But the one who topped them all was Alexander the Great. See, at the height of his power, Alexander stretched the Greek empire from Greece all the way to Egypt and into the heart of India.  

The fact that the vision uses a leopard to describe the Greeks is meant to symbolize the devastating speed at which Alexander took the world by storm. He piled up all of these military victories by the age of 30. Which I find interesting when you consider him alongside Jesus.  

In one sense, Alexander’s the kind of Warrior King the Jews wanted. He fits the pattern. See, the Persians overthrow the Babylonians. And then the Greeks overthrow the Persians and the Romans overthrow the Greeks. Then our Savior will come at the end of the age to take down the Romans, and we’ll reign forever.  

But Jesus says in John 18: “If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” We’ll come back to this, but Jesus didn’t come to rule like all the other kings. 

So where Jesus dies and rises again, Alexander just dies at the age of 32. And where Jesus empowers his disciples to spread the good news of his victory over sin and death, Alexander had no one to leave his kingdom to. So after Alexander’s death, there was a power struggle at the top with 4 of his generals vying to take charge, which is why the leopard in the vision has four heads.  

[v. 7] – After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.  

Beast #4 is Rome (at least in part). This animal is the most terrifying and horrific of all the beasts. My kids enjoy reading a book series called Who Would Win? It’s an educational what-if for the animal kingdom…who would win in a fight: a lion or a tiger? A hippo or a rhino? It’ll tell you about the speed of the animals, their physical features, all that stuff. And at the end it tells you who wins.  

Well, after seeing the winged lion, the flesh-eating bear, and the 4-headed flying leopard, Daniel’s like this last beast swallows them all. 

We’re not even told what the beast was. It sounds like Daniel had never seen anything like it before, so he didn’t have anything to compare it to. Can you imagine seeing an animal so deadly that you didn’t know how to describe it but couldn’t get the thought of it out of your mind? That’s what Daniel sees, and he can’t unsee it.  

We’re told this beast had iron teeth and 10 horns. In the Bible, horns typically signify strength. In this case, the horns represent the strength of the ten kings that will arise out of the Roman Empire. 

Now, BTW – if you’re sitting there thinking, how do you know all of this? I’m reading all the same verses, and it makes sense when you say it, but I would never be able to make these connections. 

I want you to know–first of all–Daniel felt the same way. And anyone who’s ever read the Bible before has probably felt that way at some point. But like Ps. Peter mentioned last week, we have the Spirit of God and the people of God to help us understand the Word of God.  

That’s why we have lots of different communal spaces for you to connect in the life of the church. You need to make the Word of God the sacred center of your life. And if the Word is at the center, then we should realize pretty quickly that we need a lot of help.  

Second, we also have the Word of God to help us interpret other parts of Scripture. It’s important to start with what you know to help you interpret what you don’t yet understand. Those are a few general interpretive principles.  

But it’s also helpful when Scripture interprets itself, which is what we have in vv. 15-28. When Daniel considered these visions v. 15 says he was anxious and alarmed. He needed messengers from heaven to help him understand, which thankfully he recorded for us. You can look for yourself.  

Now, the reason why I say Beast #4 represents Rome in part is because there’s a reason why Daniel was especially disturbed by this image. V. 8 says that as Daniel fixated on the horns, he saw a little horn emerge that had eyes like a man and spoke arrogantly against God.  

This is a prophecy of the Antichrist. Literally, one who is against the Lord’s Anointed. Usually, when people talk about the antichrist, they think of some scary figure who comes to do great wickedness. And he is that. But the spirit of the antichrist is at work in anyone who seeks to distort the truth of the gospel and to distract people with darkness. The scriptures testify that the Holy Spirit produces humility and reverence for the Lord, but the spirit of the antichrist always opposes God.  

Now, before we continue, let’s take a moment to look at Daniel’s vision in chapter 8 because 2 years later, Daniel has a 2nd dream that speaks to similar things and then we’ll talk about what to do with all of this. 

In chapter 8, Daniel has a vision of a ram with two uneven horns that’s dominating the world, but then a male goat with a single horn comes to fight the ram.  

[Dan. 8:7] – I (Daniel) saw [the goat] come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he wasstrong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.

We’re told in [v. 20] – the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. That’s Alexander the Great. Again, God is zooming into the story of these world kingdoms.  

Which BTW—do you realize how incredible this is? We read these visions with the privilege of hindsight and say, “Wow, these things happened just like God said they would.” Skeptics read this and say there’s no way Daniel wrote this because it’s too accurate.  

Daniel was living 500 years before the birth of Jesus and 200 years before the birth of Alexander. And yet he gets these visions about Greece conquering an empire that hasn’t even conquered Babylon yet…200 years before any of it ever happens. It’s a humanly impossible prediction.  

The point I’m trying to make is that God sees things from beginning to end, and he wants us to know that he’s directing all of human history according to his purposes. But it’s also important to acknowledge, it is much easier to look at the things God’s already done and say, “Praise God,” than it is to look at the promises God’s yet to do and say, “I know he’ll do it.” But God’s promises don’t need to be fulfilled in my lifetime for them to be true, for me to trust him, or for me to enjoy them. 

That was true for Daniel, and it’s true for us today. Now, after Alexander the Great is torn down and four new kings emerge, we’re told that one ruler will be particularly wicked and violent toward God and his people. It’s demonic.   

[Dan. 8:24] – His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand.

Many scholars believe that this prophecy points to the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, who came to power in 170 BC. Let me give you a quick rundown about him:  

• Antiochus wanted god-like treatment, which is why he tacked on the title–Epiphanes–to his name. Epiphanes is short for god made manifest. As if to say he was god in the flesh.  
• Antiochus commanded the Jews to abandon their God to worship the Greek gods. For example, under Antiochus, you could be sentenced to death just for observing the Sabbath.  
• Antiochus would literally have officials go around once a month, and sentence to death anyone they found practicing the Jewish faith. Tens of thousands of Jews were executed under his rule.  
• Maybe worst of all—Antiochus was infamous for desecrating the Temple. He had an idol of Zeus erected in the Holy of Holies. It’s hard to put into words just how offensive this was, not only to the Jews, but to God. (H.o.H. was considered the most sacred of places. No one was allowed to enter it except for the High Priest once a year on the 

Day of Atonement. That’s because the Holy of Holies was where God’s presence was said to dwell.)  

Now, remember Antiochus was forcing everyone to worship Zeus, but by his title, he’s also saying, “I am Zeus.” He orchestrated a whole program designed to rob God of his glory and turn people away from worshiping him. This is the work of the antichrist in the flesh.  

Now, what’s interesting is that even though we can point to Antiochus as the fulfillment of this prophecy, other places in Scripture seem to recognize this prophecy as something that’s still to come. That’s because biblical prophecy can have both a near and a far fulfillment.  

That’s why Jesus–who lived after the time of Antiochus–saw the work of the beast and the spirit of the antichrist as very much at play in his day, and why the Apostle John spoke about the end of the antichrist as still to come in the book of Revelation.  

According to Daniel 7-8, we learn that the work of the antichrist is to devour much flesh and to deceive people from knowing the truth. So it’s important for us to know that there’s an Enemy that wants us to live lies. He wants us to believe that God is distant. God is weak. God is NOT in control.  

But see, the way you avoid deception is by knowing the truth. That’s why I want to take us back to Daniel 7, where God interrupts Daniel’s vision of the beast in v. 8 by taking him to the throne of grace. God shows Daniel two scenes that change everything for him and us.

How do we endure the dark days of Babylon? How do we overcome sin, suffering, and sorrow in this life? By being reassured that our suffering has an expiration date because our God reigns and his plans will be finished in Christ.  

Scene #1: The Ancient of Days controls our tomorrow.

[7:9] – “As I looked, thrones were placed,     and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow,     and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames;     its wheels were burning fire.

10 A stream of fire issued

    and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him,     and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment,    and the books were opened.

This vision takes us into the throne room of God where the LORD is called the Ancient of Days. Which is just an awesome title. When I was in HS, I came up with this clever plan to create an all-time hall pass so I could get out of class whenever I wanted. So I went around asking my teachers to sign their name on a blank piece of paper.  

And I was genuinely surprised when my chemistry teacher did it because he had the reputation of being a genius. His name was Glenn Powell. But he signed his name as Bjorn Yesterday. “Who’s Bjorn Yesterday?” He said, 

“If you think I’m dumb enough to sign that paper, you must think I’m Bjorn Yesterday.”  

See, the Ancient of Days doesn’t mean frail and old but infinitely wise and eternally good. That’s why he’s dressed in clothing as white as snow and has a head of hair as pure as wool. There’s nothing that happens in this world that God hasn’t seen before. There are no surprises for him and no scheme or disaster he can’t overcome.  

His throne is described as having fiery flames and wheels of fire, showing that God is mobile—he can go wherever his people are and he doesn’t even have to leave his throne to get there. It’s as if God is saying, “To overcome the fear of evil, remember who’s in charge.” The Evil One is under God’s authority, and God will judge accordingly. 

[v. 11] – “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

The scene with the Ancient of Days reveals that God’s in control of the world. But notice, he doesn’t just let the kingdoms of the world go to waste. Even in ruin, God can redeem. How many of us need to hear that this morning?  

Why else does God care so much about these world kingdoms? Of course, he wants everyone to come to faith in Jesus. But I think he also wants to show us that even the bad things he can turn to good.  

[Just watch this]: God uses world kingdoms to mobilize the message of the gospel.  

• God used the Persians to free his people and rebuild Jerusalem. It was King Cyrus and the Persians who granted permission and helped fund the rebuilding of Israel. Under Persian rule, Zerubabbel was sent to rebuild the Temple, Ezra to reestablish the Law, and Nehemiah to refortify the city. God doesn’t forget his people. He judges and he restores.  
• God used the Greeks to establish a common language. The conquests of Alexander the Great led to the spread of Greek culture across the Mediterranean and into parts of Asia. The Greek empire helped establish a Hellenistic world where koine Greek became the common language for trade and diplomacy. Even after the Romans defeated Greece, the Romans adopted koine Greek for education and language. Do you know what language the NT is written in? Koine Greek. Why? At least, in part, because of the conquests of Alexander.  
• God used the Roman roads to spread the gospel. But it wasn’t just the Roman roads, it was also the Pax Romana – 200 years of peace under Roman rule. Rome provided the safety and infrastructure for people to move around and for goods and ideas to be shared. Rome helped shape a world ready for the spread of a gospel movement.  

That’s why Paul says in [Galatians 4] “…when the fullness of time had come,” God sent Jesus into the world. Jesus came at just the right time to fulfill God’s promises. God orchestrated all of it.  

The Ancient of Days is in control of our tomorrows. He knows what troubles might come our way, but he also says “Remember who’s on the throne.”  

Some of us are walking through difficult seasons right now, wondering what’s the point of all this. But what if God interrupted what feels like a never-ending season to say to you, “This next period of time’s going to be hard, and it’s going to go on for longer than you want it to. Maybe you’re going to hear some devastating news. Maybe you’re UNHCR application’s going to be denied again. Maybe when you thought you finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel, things went off the rails again. 

But then God reassures you that your misery will be overcome by what he’s been working toward all along. You don’t always need to see everything God is doing to know he’s at work, but sometimes he makes it plain to us. He will bring justice to the wrongs and healing to the pains. Even the things you thought were pointless detours, God can use for your good and the good of others. We can have steadfast faith because the Ancient of Days is on the throne and he’s in control of your tomorrow. 

Which brings us to…Scene #2: Because of Jesus, you can walk in victory today.

[v. 13] – “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven     there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days     and was presented before him. 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.

The beasts in Daniel rise from chaotic waters to take control, but then someone like a “Son of Man” descends from the clouds and is given all dominion and glory. What does that mean? 

The Bible uses many titles to describe Jesus—Christ, Savior, the Lamb of God—but do you know which title Jesus uses most often for himself? 

Over 80 times in the gospels, he calls himself the Son of Man. Now being a Son of Man just means you’re human, and that’s why many people today misunderstand Jesus when he uses this title. See, when Jesus calls himself the Son of Man, he’s saying I’m the One in Daniel 7 who comes down from heaven. 

Now, think about this: the Apostle John, one of Jesus’s 12 disciples, spent a lot of time with him during his ministry. He witnessed everything, including Jesus’s death and resurrection. In the book of Revelation, while John is exiled on the isle of Patmos, he gets a glimpse of how everything will end and he sees the glorified Jesus. Do you remember how he described Jesus when he saw him? 

[Revelation 1:13] says John saw “…one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire…”

He’s saying the one like a Son of Man is the Ancient of Days. That matches the angel’s interpretation of Daniel’s vision. [Dan. 7:21] – As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, [God came down] and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed thekingdom.

Jesus is saying he’s the Son of Man. He’s the One who’s given all dominion and glory and an eternal kingdom. He’s the One all nations serve and worship.  

And that’s exactly what Jesus says about himself when he’s on trial to be crucified. The chief priests want him to speak plainly about his identity. [Matt. 26:63] – …the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living

God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Jesus is the Ancient of Days who came to defeat the power of sin and death. See, Jesus could have asserted his power any way he wanted. He could have called down the legion of angel armies to raze the earth of its wickedness, and he wouldn’t have even needed to leave his throne to do it. But Jesus is God who chose to identify with us in our sin.  

So instead of conquering, he chose to be devoured in our place. He has the power of a Lion, but instead he chose to come like a lamb to let the lions and bears and leopards of this world devour him. But instead of being destroyed he’s vindicated and raised to life. He’s crowned. He’s enthroned and he brings us along with him.  

Let me close with this final thought: God knows what time it is. He knows our stories from beginning to end. He tells us our lives won’t be easy, but even in the mundane places, even through hardships and unexpected turns, God is working through it all to accomplish his purposes and to give you the kingdom. And so even when you feel like all is lost or everything’s for nothing, God pulls back the curtain to say, No it’s not.  

And the gospel is our greatest reminder of this. Jesus conquered sin and death once for all. And he tells us to remember he’s coming soon to bring us into his kingdom. He says all authority in heaven and earth belong to him. It’s not just that he helps us through the hard times, but he empowers us to do his good works in his Name.  

If God can use the world’s kingdoms, even those working against him, for his purposes, imagine what he can do through his suffering servants who are learning to trust him day-by-day. Jesus was conquered and overcame and as we join ourselves to him, so will we.  

When you know the outcome of your story it changes the way you live, even in difficult circumstances. The challenges that once felt impossible now seem surmountable because the Lord has already won the victory for us in Christ. 

God calls us to live with the end in view – where Christ reigns and we stand with him forever.