We live in troubled times Daniel 7:1-28 describes the future of the world. In Daniel 7:1-12, very much in parallel to Daniel 2:31-45, describes the rise of powerful empires in the world, beginning with the Babylonian empire during which time Daniel lived. But they will be judged in the end on the judgment day. Daniel 7:13-14 also describes the growth of the kingdom of God. While the vision may have been given to Daniel consecutively after the vision about the rise and fall of the beasts in Daniel 7:1-12, we should not necessarily conclude that the events in Daniel 7:13-14 occur chronologically after the judgment day when the fourth beast is finally put down. As in Daniel 2, the rise of the kingdom of God is concurrent to the time when the fourth has power. There is, therefore, at present, the cause of evil in the world alongside the rise of the kingdom of God. Christ is building his church, and the schemes of the evil one will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). Visions are vague Imagery and visions were used to convey something of the story of the future. But the nature of these visions, just like in the book of Revelation, is that while we get a rough idea of what is going to happen, we can’t nail it down to specifics in the way that we often want to do. God did not give us a diary of dates, names and places when future events would occur. Instead, he gave us a rough or vague idea as to what is going on, so that we would have hope for the future, and not fear. God’s people overcome in the end Yet, if we take the message of this chapter as a whole, the conclusion is that despite the writhing of evil in the world, God is in control, and God’s people eventually overcome. It will include persecution and trials for some, or many. But in the end, this too shall pass, and it will be worth it. Daniel asks and angel what the vision means, and he is told the following summary: ‘So I approached one of those standing beside the throne and asked him what it all meant. He explained it to me like this: “These four huge beasts represent four kingdoms that will arise from the earth. But in the end, the holy people of the Most High will be given the kingdom, and they will rule forever and ever.”’ (Daniel 7:16–18, NLT) If we are under severe persecution, or going through difficult trials, we can at the very least take comfort that in the end, this too shall pass, and God’s people will come through victorious.