Context: The heavenly messenger is still speaking to Daniel.

~~~

2 Now then, I will tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. By the power of his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.

3 Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great authority and do as he pleases. 4 But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the authority with which he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and given to others.

5 The king of the South will grow strong, but one of his commanders will grow even stronger and will rule his own kingdom with great authority.

6 After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to seal the agreement. But his daughter will not retain her position of power, nor will his strength endure. At that time she will be given up, along with her royal escort and her father[C] and the one who supported her.

7 But one from her family line will rise up in his place, come against the army of the king of the North, and enter his fortress, fighting and prevailing. 8 He will take even their gods captive to Egypt, with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold. For some years he will stay away from the king of the North, 9 who will invade the realm of the king of the South and then return to his own land.

10 But his sons will stir up strife and assemble a great army, which will advance forcefully, sweeping through like a flood, and will again carry the battle as far as his fortress. 11 In a rage, the king of the South will march out to fight the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be delivered into the hand of his enemy.

12 When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be proud in heart and will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not triumph. 13 For the king of the North will raise another army, larger than the first, and after some years he will advance with a great army and many supplies.

14 In those times many will rise up against the king of the South. Violent ones among your own people will exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they will fail.

15 Then the king of the North will come, build up a siege ramp, and capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will not stand; even their best troops will not be able to resist. 16 The invader will do as he pleases, and no one will stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand. 17 He will resolve to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and will reach an agreement with the king of the South. He will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plan will not succeed or help him.

18 Then he will turn his face to the coastlands and capture many of them. But a commander will put an end to his reproach and will turn it back upon him. 19 After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall and be no more.

20 In his place one will arise who will send out a tax collector for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he will be destroyed, though not in anger or in battle.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

This chapter is an amazingly detailed prophetic description of a series of major historical rulers and wars in the centuries following the Jewish exile in Babylon. It starts with a quick summary of kings of the Persian Empire (v 2). But in verse 3, Daniel is told of a “mighty king” who will arise. Historically, this is Alexander the Great, the Macedonian general who defeated Persia and established the Greek Empire.

The rest of the vision focuses on the complicated military conflicts that happened between two competing kingdoms within the Greek Empire. One is known as the Seleucid Empire, and it controlled western Asia and the Middle East. The other is the Ptolemaic Kingdom, which controlled Egypt and northern Africa. So when the vision talks about the “king of the North” and the “king of the South,” it is talking about various Greek kings who ruled over the Middle East (the North) and Egypt (the South).

Caught in the middle of these great Greek wars, like meat in a sandwich, were Jerusalem and the land of Judea – “the Beautiful Land” (v 16).

Today’s passage is really setting things up for a particular “king of the North” who will rise to power in tomorrow’s reading. For today, spend time interceding in prayer for our Christian brothers and sisters around the world who are caught in warzones: in the Middle East, Ukraine, Myanmar, Sudan and South Sudan, and West Africa.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister.

1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, and it concerned a great conflict. And the understanding of the message was given to him in a vision.

2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks. 3 I ate no rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I did not anoint myself with oil until the three weeks were completed.

4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, 5 I lifted up my eyes, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like beryl, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of polished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

7 Only I, Daniel, saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but a great terror fell upon them, and they ran and hid themselves.

8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision. No strength remained in me; my face grew deathly pale, and I was powerless. 9 I heard the sound of his words, and as I listened, I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground.

10 Suddenly, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said to me, “Daniel, you are a man who is highly precious. Consider carefully the words that I am about to say to you. Stand up, for I have now been sent to you.”

And when he had said this to me, I stood up trembling.

12 “Do not be afraid, Daniel,” he said, “for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision concerns those days.”

15 While he was speaking these words to me, I set my face toward the ground and became speechless. 16 And suddenly one with the likeness of a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and said to the one standing before me, “My lord, because of the vision, I am overcome with anguish, and I have no strength. 17 How can I, your servant, speak with you, my lord? Now I have no strength, nor is any breath left in me.”

18 Again the one with the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me. 19 “Do not be afraid, you who are highly precious,” he said. “Peace be with you! Be strong now; be very strong!”

As he spoke with me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”

20 “Do you know why I have come to you?” he said. “I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I have gone forth, behold, the prince of Greece will come. 21 But first I will tell you what is inscribed in the Book of Truth. Yet no one has the courage to support me against these, except Michael your prince.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

1 “And I, in the first year of Darius the Mede, stood up to strengthen and protect him.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

Chapters 10–12 are the final and longest vision in the book of Daniel. Chapter 10 sets the scene, describing Daniel’s terrifying encounter with a glorious heavenly messenger.

Over the next few days, we will hear the message Daniel is given. It will describe earthly events that will happen after Daniel’s time, especially wars between kings and rulers during the Persian and Greek Empires. But the angel’s strange words in today’s passage show that behind these earthly events, there are spiritual forces and spiritual struggles that we can’t see.

Two things struck me as I read this. First, prayer makes a difference. The angel who speaks with him had been opposed by a spiritual “prince of the kingdom of Persia” (v 13) and had taken 3 weeks to break free … and it’s no coincidence that Daniel had been praying for 3 weeks (v 2-3, 12). God answers our prayers about the biggest spiritual matters.

Secondly, I remembered that while there is still a spiritual battle, Jesus has already won the war. Battles between good and evil angels sound pretty scary, but Jesus has defeated and disarmed every power and authority that exists by his death on the cross (Col. 2:15). We can struggle and pray knowing that God will answer, and that Jesus has triumphed (Rev. 5:5).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister.

20 While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and that of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the LORD my God concerning His holy mountain— 21 while I was still praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and spoke with me, saying: “O Daniel, I have come now to give you insight and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your petitions, an answer went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly precious. So consider the message and understand the vision:

24 Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

25 Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress.

26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing.

Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed. 27 And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple will come the abomination that causes desolation, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

There’s a difference between being fascinated by something and being excited by it. I’m fascinated by how planes can stay up in the air. I’m excited when I fly on an overseas trip.

I’ve always found this passage fascinating. Here’s the short version of how I understand it. The “weeks” represent periods of seven years – so “seven weeks” is 49 years, and so on. The basic message was to prepare Daniel and his people for a much longer time of waiting and suffering ahead. At the start of the chapter, Daniel learned that the physical exile of the Jews in Babylon was nearing an end. But now God reveals that they will suffer a kind of spiritual exile that will last much longer. It will be centuries before God’s greatest plans for them are fulfilled.

On the surface, the timing of the “weeks” points to the same traumatic event that the previous visions have pointed toward: the arrival of a cruel Greek king who, in 167 BC, desecrated the temple in Jerusalem. But as we saw in our sermon on Mark 13, there were other, deeper fulfilments to come – and the deepest fulfilment of the “abomination that causes desolation” (v 27) was the cross itself.

That leads to the part which I find not just fascinating, but exciting. God’s ultimate purpose for his people, after the centuries of waiting, would be: “to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place” (v 24). As I read this again, I realised that God has done all these things, gloriously and completely, through the death and resurrection of Jesus for us – not just for the Jewish people, but for everyone who turns to Jesus in thankful trust.

The message about being prepared to suffer and wait patiently is still relevant to us today. But we get to hear that message knowing that all the best bits have already happened in Jesus. We can look in the rear vision mirror and see the event that gives us complete assurance and peace, so we can look forward with eager anticipation for the day when Jesus will return and raise us to life in his kingdom of peace and joy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister.

1 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who was made ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans — 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the sacred books, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

4 And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances. 6 We have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, leaders, and fathers, and to all the people of the land.

7 To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but this day we are covered with shame—the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and all Israel near and far, in all the countries to which You have driven us because of our unfaithfulness to You. 8 O LORD, we are covered with shame—our kings, our leaders, and our fathers—because we have sinned against You.

9 To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, even though we have rebelled against Him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God to walk in His laws, which He set before us through His servants the prophets.

11 All Israel has transgressed Your law and turned away, refusing to obey Your voice; so the oath and the curse written in the Law of Moses the servant of God has been poured out on us, because we have sinned against You. 12 You have carried out the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us a great disaster. For under all of heaven, nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.

13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquities and giving attention to Your truth. 14 Therefore the LORD has kept the calamity in store and brought it upon us. For the LORD our God is righteous in all He does; yet we have not obeyed His voice.

15 Now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and who made for Yourself a name renowned to this day, we have sinned; we have acted wickedly. 16 O Lord, in keeping with all Your righteous acts, I pray that Your anger and wrath may turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all around us.

17 So now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of Your servant. For Your sake, O Lord, cause Your face to shine upon Your desolate sanctuary. 18 Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before You because of our righteous acts, but because of Your great compassion.

19 O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your name.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Duc

Daniel realised, from Jeremiah’s prophecy, that the exile in Babylon was nearing an end (Jer 25:11-12). In light of that news, he is prompted to pray (v1-3).

Daniel begins his prayer with praise for God’s greatness and faithfulness to his promises (9:4). Daniel then confesses his sins and the sins of the people (9:5) and calls on God’s mercy and compassion before he petitions God to act quickly to restore the city, the temple and his people.

Daniel’s impassioned prayer is a great model for how to approach God. As you pray today, try following Daniel’s pattern for prayer – Praise, Confession, Petition.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our Assistant Ministers.

15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard the voice of a man calling from between the banks of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”

17 As he came near to where I stood, I was terrified and fell facedown.

“Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”

18 While he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground.

Then he touched me, helped me to my feet, 19 and said, “Behold, I will make known to you what will happen in the latter time of wrath, because it concerns the appointed time of the end.

20 The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece,[B] and the large horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 The four horns that replaced the broken one represent four kingdoms that will rise from that nation, but will not have the same power.

23 In the latter part of their reign, when the rebellion has reached its full measure, an insolent king, skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne. 24 His power will be great, but it will not be his own. He will cause terrible destruction and succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men along with the holy people. 25 Through his craft and by his hand, he will cause deceit to prosper, and in his own mind he will make himself great. In a time of peace he will destroy many, and he will even stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be broken off, but not by human hands.

26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been spoken is true. Now you must seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”

27 I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was confounded by the vision; it was beyond understanding.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Duc

In the hit sci-fi movie, the ‘Matrix’, there’s a scene where the lead character, Neo, sees the same black cat twice in succession. It was a case of ‘déjà vu’, where you feel like you’ve experienced the exact same event before – and in Neo’s case, it clues him to the fact that danger is just around the corner.

This second vision must have filled Daniel with that dreaded sense of déjà vu. Once again, he sees terrifying animals that symbolise powerful kingdoms. In this case, the two-horned ram represents Medo-Persia, and the goat is Greece. Daniel sees that the ram (Medo-Persia) will be an irresistible force and will become great (v 4) … that is, until the goat (Greece) arrives from the west. Then it is Greece which will become very great and conquer the world (v 8).

The vision then focuses on a ruler, a ‘little horn’, who would attack the ‘Beautiful Land’ of Jerusalem. He would set himself up against God, destroy God’s city, plunder God’s temple in Jerusalem, and persecute God’s people.

It’s no wonder that Daniel hears one angel ask another: ‘How long?’ How long will God allow this evil to endure? The answer comes: for 2,300 evenings and mornings (about 3½ years). But then God would act to deliver his people and restore the temple (v 14).

Although the timing is debated, this probably points to the same arrogant and cruel Greek king Daniel learned about in chapter 7 – a king called Antiochus who, in 167 BC, slaughtered the people of Jerusalem and desecrated the temple in Jerusalem. But as Daniel foresaw, God delivered his people and the temple was restored 3½ years later.

Even the mighty kingdoms of the Medo-Persians and Greeks were under God’s sovereign will – and by his will, they faded away. But just as God chose to love Israel, the most insignificant of all peoples, so he is continuing to build his forever kingdom – by choosing the weak things of the world to shame the strong and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are (1 Cor 1:27). What a joy and relief for us!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our Assistant Ministers.

1 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, subsequent to the one that had appeared to me earlier. 2 And in the vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa, in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal.

3 Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a ram with two horns standing beside the canal. The horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one grew up later. 4 I saw the ram charging toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and there was no deliverance from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.

5 As I was contemplating all this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes came out of the west, crossing the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground. 6 He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and rushed at him with furious power. 7 I saw him approach the ram in a rage against him, and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him, and the goat threw him to the ground and trampled him, and no one could deliver the ram from his power.

8 Thus the goat became very great, but at the height of his power, his large horn was broken off, and four prominent horns came up in its place, pointing toward the four winds of heaven.

9 From one of these horns a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the Beautiful Land. 10 It grew as high as the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the earth, and trampled them. 11 It magnified itself, even to the Prince of the host; it removed His daily sacrifice and overthrew the place of His sanctuary. 12 And in the rebellion, the host and the daily sacrifice were given over to the horn, and it flung truth to the ground and prospered in whatever it did.

13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long until the fulfillment of the vision of the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host to be trampled?”

14 He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be properly restored.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Duc

In the hit sci-fi movie, the ‘Matrix’, there’s a scene where the lead character, Neo, sees the same black cat twice in succession. It was a case of ‘déjà vu’, where you feel like you’ve experienced the exact same event before – and in Neo’s case, it clues him to the fact that danger is just around the corner.

This second vision must have filled Daniel with that dreaded sense of déjà vu. Once again, he sees terrifying animals that symbolise powerful kingdoms. In this case, the two-horned ram represents Medo-Persia, and the goat is Greece. Daniel sees that the ram (Medo-Persia) will be an irresistible force and will become great (v 4) … that is, until the goat (Greece) arrives from the west. Then it is Greece which will become very great and conquer the world (v 8).

The vision then focuses on a ruler, a ‘little horn’, who would attack the ‘Beautiful Land’ of Jerusalem. He would set himself up against God, destroy God’s city, plunder God’s temple in Jerusalem, and persecute God’s people.

It’s no wonder that Daniel hears one angel ask another: ‘How long?’ How long will God allow this evil to endure? The answer comes: for 2,300 evenings and mornings (about 3½ years). But then God would act to deliver his people and restore the temple (v 14).

Although the timing is debated, this probably points to the same arrogant and cruel Greek king Daniel learned about in chapter 7 – a king called Antiochus who, in 167 BC, slaughtered the people of Jerusalem and desecrated the temple in Jerusalem. But as Daniel foresaw, God delivered his people and the temple was restored 3½ years later.

Even the mighty kingdoms of the Medo-Persians and Greeks were under God’s sovereign will – and by his will, they faded away. But just as God chose to love Israel, the most insignificant of all peoples, so he is continuing to build his forever kingdom – by choosing the weak things of the world to shame the strong and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are (1 Cor 1:27). What a joy and relief for us!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our Assistant Ministers.

15 I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit, and the visions in my mind alarmed me. 16 I approached one of those who were standing there, and I asked him the true meaning of all this.

So he told me the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who will arise from the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever—yes, forever and ever.’

19 Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others—extremely terrifying—devouring and crushing with iron teeth and bronze claws, then trampling underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn whose appearance was more imposing than the others, with eyes and with a mouth that spoke words of arrogance. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and prevailing against them, 22 until the Ancient of Days arrived and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for them to possess the kingdom.

23 This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it. 24 And the ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. After them another king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings. 25 He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.

26 But the court will convene, and his dominion will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey Him.’

28 Thus ends the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts troubled me greatly, and my face turned pale. But I kept the matter to myself.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Duc

Daniel’s terrifying vision leaves him feeling grieved and alarmed (v 15). He’s desperate for answers and reassurance – but even after he hears an explanation from one of the angels he sees standing there, his thoughts are still troubling him greatly (v 28).

Today’s passage also has a surprise. Yesterday, we had read that God would judge the four kingdoms and give dominion and his everlasting kingdom to “one like the Son of Man” (v 13-14). But in verses 22 and 27 of today’s passage, it is ‘the saints of the Most High’ – that is, all God’s people – who will inherit God’s kingdom.

If this will be the final outcome, why does Daniel respond with dismay? Maybe he is shaken by all the frightening things that need to happen beforehand.

Whatever the cause, Daniel decides not to ask more. We can learn from his wisdom in this. Sometimes, when someone is facing a hard situation, I’ve heard them say, “I really wish God would just make it clear to me.” But the Bible tells us that “the secret things belong to the LORD our God” (Deut 29:29). Daniel’s experience suggests that maybe God reveals to us just as much as we need to know at the right moments in time.

But God has also graciously revealed to us what we really do need to know. Today, we are reminded that God is sovereign over all human rulers, will save his people from persecution, and will ultimately establish his forever kingdom for them. Praise God!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our Assistant Ministers.

9 As I continued to watch,
thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took His seat.
His clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of His head was like pure wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
10 A river of fire was flowing,
coming out from His presence.
Thousands upon thousands attended Him,
and myriads upon myriads stood before Him.
The court was convened,
and the books were opened.

11 Then I kept watching because of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued to watch, the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was removed, but they were granted an extension of life for a season and a time.

13 In my vision in the night I continued to watch,
and I saw One like the Son of Man
coming with the clouds of heaven.
He approached the Ancient of Days
and was led into His presence.
14 And He was given dominion,
glory, and kingship,
that the people of every nation and language
should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that will not pass away,
and His kingdom is one
that will never be destroyed.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Duc

If Daniel’s dream was a feature film, what we get with today’s passage is a ‘cut’ or ‘scene transition’. We move from yesterday’s earthly scene of four beasts rising from the churning sea, all the way up to the heavenly realm where God’s courtroom is being prepared for the beasts to face judgment.

The first to take his seat is the Ancient of Days, that is, God, in all his pure and fiery majesty. Then, God’s people in their thousands upon thousands gather before Him. As the heavenly court begins its session, the books are opened (v10). The four beasts, who seemed so threatening a scene ago, are dealt with so efficiently they appear almost insignificant.

Then the spotlight shifts to a new character, “One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven” (v 13). Unlike the animal-like beasts which come from the waters below, this human-like figure comes from above. He is presented to the Ancient of Days and is given power forever and an everlasting kingdom. Unlike the earthly kingdoms, which are limited and fleeting, this one will continue into eternity.

In the New Testament, Jesus gives himself the title ‘the Son of Man’. He said that one day he will return in power and glory riding on clouds, in fulfilment of Daniel’s vision (Matt 24:27-30). When he returns, he will raise back to life believers who have fallen asleep and gather up those who are alive to set up God’s forever kingdom (1 Thess 4:14-17). That’s the end scene God has planned for the feature film that is all of human history.

I’ve been avoiding reading or watching the news over the past few months. It all feels so overwhelming – the horrific, endless wars in the Middle East, the corruption and ugliness of politics in the West, and the economic and social challenges we face in our own country. But this passage is such a comfort. It’s a call not to despair about the beast-like kings that reject God and rule the earth, but to look up in hope, to wait expectantly for the triumph of God’s perfect kingdom when Jesus returns.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our Assistant Ministers.

1 In the first year of the reign of Belshazzar over Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he lay on his bed. He wrote down the dream, and this is the summary of his account.

2 Daniel declared: “In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea. 3 Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others:

4 The first beast was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and given the mind of a man.

5 Suddenly another beast appeared, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. So it was told, ‘Get up and gorge yourself on flesh!’

6 Next, as I watched, another beast appeared. It was like a leopard, and on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

7 After this, as I watched in my vision in the night, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, and it was terrifying—dreadful and extremely strong—with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed; then it trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns. 8 While I was contemplating the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like those of a man and a mouth that spoke words of arrogance.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Duc

Do you dream when you sleep? I rarely do. However, a few nights ago, I dreamed. It wasn’t a long dream, but it was filled with strange images I couldn’t quite make out and fragments of odd conversations with people from long ago. I woke up feeling unsettled and disturbed.

In today’s passage, the prophet Daniel describes his own vivid dream. But this is no ordinary dream. Daniel sees four terrifying beasts emerging from the chaotic waters. The four beasts symbolise four kingdoms that arose to dominate and terrorise the nations around them: first Babylon, then Media, Persia and Greece. Each was worse than the one before it.

Greece, the fourth beast, was the most ferocious of all. In the Bible, ‘horns’ are symbols of strength and power, and the fourth beast has ten of them. And still it grows another brutal ‘little horn’, with eyes like a man and who spoke arrogant words. This was a prophecy of a cruel Greek ruler, a tyrant who feared neither the Jews nor their God.

As these four beasts rose up from the churning sea and terrorised Daniel in his sleep, how might he have comforted himself? As he pulled his sheets up a little higher, Daniel might have remembered that God, his God, is sovereign over every evil power. It was God who stilled the roaring of the seas, the pounding of their waves and the tumult of the nations (Ps 65:7).

We have an even greater comfort, supplied by another vision – from John in the book of Revelation. John saw the coming of Jesus, along with the final destruction of Satan and the making of a new heaven and earth. When Jesus returns, the sea of chaos and destruction will be no more. There will only be a holy city where there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things will have passed away and God will make all things new (Rev 21:1-7).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our Assistant Ministers.

24 At the command of the king, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the den of lions—they and their children and wives. And before they had reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

25 Then King Darius wrote to the people of every nation and language throughout the land: “May your prosperity abound. 26 I hereby decree that in every part of my kingdom, men are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel:

For He is the living God,
and He endures forever;
His kingdom will never be destroyed,
and His dominion will never end.

27 He delivers and rescues;
He performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth,
for He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions.”

28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Matt Radloff

Darius’ declaration of praise for God finds its place at the very end of the first half of the book. Over and over again, God has proved that he is mighty. God has shown that while kingdoms rise and fall, he remains in control. The kingdom of Babylon was crushed by Persia. And Persia too will eventually crumble into dust. Unlike the kings of this world, God endures forever. Unlike the nations that stand strong for a time, God’s dominion will never end. Unlike the gods of the world, Daniel’s God, our God, is the living God. The only right response for all the people of the world is to tremble in fear before him. He is totally unopposed and completely sovereign. 

What’s more, the living, mighty God has shown that he actually cares for his people. Sometimes I think we can forget how amazing that really is. The eternal, all-powerful, fear-inducing God, cares about us. Throughout the book of Daniel, he’s shown that he can and he will save his people from the enemy. He shielded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fire when they refused to bow to idols. He closed the lions' mouths when Daniel refused the king's law and persisted in only praying to God. He delivers and rescues. He performs signs and wonders to save. 

We can have real security knowing that the eternal, living God is with us. He delivered Daniel from the lions, and he has delivered us from sin and death through his son. One day, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that the Son, Jesus Christ, is lord. We can look forward to that day when the whole world will know that God alone saves. That he is the living God who has delivered his people. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matt is one of our Student Ministers.