The Court Is In Session

We're in Daniel chapter 7 this morning, earlier this year in the spring.

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

We worked our way through the first six chapters of Daniel.

And just to remind you, those first six chapters are typically the ones that most people are very familiar with.

They're narrative, make for good storytelling, good children's ministry lessons.

And then you get to the back half, starting in chapter 7, and things get a little bit weird.

So the back half of Daniel, starting in chapter 7, oftentimes Christians will disagree on how to interpret these verses.

Just a disclaimer, you may disagree with me in some of the things that we'll cover over the next several weeks together.

And let me just say on the front end, that's okay.

We're okay with that.

And I'll be the first one to tell you that I do not fully understand everything in the book of Daniel.

So even still, I'm excited to open it up and hear what God has to say for us this morning.

So if you would, hopefully you found it by now.

Daniel chapter 7.

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

Would you stand in honor of the reading of God's word this morning?

Daniel chapter 7.

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

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 declared,

I saw in my vision by night and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.

The first was like a lion and had eagle's wings.

And 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.

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.

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.

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.

I considered the horns and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one,

before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots.

And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things.

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.

A stream of fire issued and came out from before him.

A thousand thousand served him.

And ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.

The court sat in judgment and the books were opened.

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.

As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away.

But their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

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.

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.

As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious and the visions of my head alarmed me.

I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this.

So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things.

These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth.

But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever, and ever.

Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest,

exceedingly terrifying with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze,

in which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet.

And about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up,

and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things,

and that seemed greater than its companions.

As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them until the Ancient of Days came,

and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High,

and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.

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 into pieces.

As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,

and another shall arise after them.

He shall be different from the former ones,

and shall put down three kings.

He shall speak words against the Most High,

and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,

and shall think to change the times and the law,

and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

But the court shall sit in judgment,

and his dominion shall be taken away,

to be consumed and destroyed to the end.

And the kingdom and the dominion

and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven

shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High.

His kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,

and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

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.

And the grass withers and the flower fades,

but the word of our Lord endures forever.

Would you pray with me once more?

Father, we ask now as we open up this chapter

that you would make all things clear.

Father, that your spirit would empower the preaching of your word.

Lord, would you help us to grow in our love for Christ?

Would we submit to his reign and rule even now?

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

You may be seated.

In my hometown, there was a cheap dollar movie theater

that showed movies on their second run,

and it was one of the best, cheapest ways to go out with some friends

and see a movie on the weekends.

And so what we would do is we would go,

we would pick a movie to watch,

we'd go there, pick whatever we wanted to see,

and then we would leave there discussing whatever it was that we had just seen.

And depending on the movie,

sometimes that conversation was quick,

and the movie was simple, easy to understand.

And at other times, we sat there and talked for hours and hours

about what we had just seen.

Sometimes it was difficult to understand,

and even sometimes we went back the following week

to watch the same movie over again

so that we could see those same scenes play again in front of our eyes

and try as best as we could to understand

what in the world we had just seen.

Daniel 7 is a little bit like that.

This is a vision playing out in Daniel's mind as he dreams.

He sees these scenes flashing in front of him.

What he sees is shocking to him.

It's upsetting to him.

It's all a lot to process.

And when he's all done seeing these visions,

when it's all over, he walks away asking,

what in the world did I just see?

And I'm guessing that as I read through Daniel 7 just now,

many of us are feeling the same way.

So what we're going to do before we enter back into the theater

of Daniel's vision once more

and see these scenes play in front of us again,

I want to give us the big idea here from Daniel 7.

The big idea, the message of Daniel 7 is this.

God defeats the kingdom of man by the son of man.

That's the big idea.

God defeats, he triumphs over the kingdom of man

by giving an eternal kingdom to one like a son of man.

And we who belong to him,

we get to enjoy his reign and rule forever.

That's Daniel 7.

So what we're going to see here this morning is

two scenes and a summary.

Two scenes and a summary.

First, scene number one is the scene on earth.

Look there to verse one with me.

Verse one says that this dream came to Daniel

during the first year of Belshazzar's reign.

And so we're actually, we're going back in time here chronologically.

We've already seen Belshazzar come and go.

You remember the story with the writing on the wall.

But we should know prophetic literature

doesn't always write in a straight line.

We shouldn't expect it to.

And so here in the first year of Belshazzar's reign,

we're told Daniel sees this vision.

Verse two says,

The four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

And out of this sea come four beasts.

We're told in the second half of the chapter

that these four beasts,

they represent four kingdoms.

And if that sounds familiar to you at all,

that's good.

You have a better memory than I do.

You're thinking back to Daniel chapter two.

You remember from Daniel chapter two,

it was Nebuchadnezzar who had a dream.

And he was dreaming about this statue

that was made up of these four parts.

And the four parts of that statue,

you remember, what do they represent?

Four kingdoms.

What we see here in chapter seven

is that Daniel chapter two

and Daniel chapter seven,

they sync up.

Daniel has sort of an expanded vision,

an expanded view of these same four kingdoms

from Nebuchadnezzar's dream.

What are they?

The first, he says, is like a lion.

It's not any ordinary lion, is it?

This lion has eagle's wings.

And even then, the wings are plucked off.

The lion is lifted up.

It's made to stand on two feet like a man.

A mind of a man is given to it.

Matching it up with Nebuchadnezzar's dream

in chapter two, beast number one is Babylon.

Babylon.

You remember what happened to Nebuchadnezzar,

to Babylon.

God judged his pride.

He plucked off his wings, so to speak,

drove him away from his kingdom.

But at the end, what happened?

He was restored.

And once again, he was given a mind like a man.

The first beast is Babylon.

The second beast, verse five,

he says, is like a bear.

But again, it's not a normal looking bear, is it?

This bear is raised up on one side.

He's got three ribs in its mouth,

between its teeth.

It looks like it just came from a kill.

And it's told, again,

go arise and devour much flesh.

Again, if we're following the pattern from chapter two,

lining up what we're seeing here,

this is the kingdom of Medo-Persia,

which came in after Babylon under Cyrus.

And they took over,

and they devoured the kingdom of Babylon.

And the third beast,

like a leopard,

with four wings of a bird on its back,

and four heads.

And this leopard,

he was given dominion.

It's a beast that's quick,

and it's destructive.

He can strike in all directions,

with these four wings,

and these four heads.

And again, following the pattern of chapter two,

this would be the kingdom of Greece,

under Alexander the Great.

All of this is this chaotic, terrifying scene.

I want you to just place yourself in this vision.

Sometimes we read these accounts,

and we just kind of keep it distant.

I want you to step into Daniel's mind here,

and picture this sea,

this tumultuous sea,

being torn apart by the winds,

and these four beasts coming up.

This is a chaotic, terrifying scene.

But even so,

I want you to notice the language here.

It's as powerful as these beasts are,

they are all passive actors in this scene.

Did you notice that?

It says dominion was given to the third beast.

The second beast was commanded.

Someone's commanding it.

Go devour.

The first beast,

he was brought up.

He had his wings plucked off.

He was brought back up.

He was given a mind like a man.

It's clear there's a greater power at work here,

and soon we'll see exactly who that is.

But first,

Daniel shows us one final beast.

Look there to verse 7.

This fourth and final beast,

Daniel says,

was terrifying,

and dreadful,

exceedingly strong,

teeth of iron,

and it just destroys everything in its path.

And it's clear to Daniel

that as terrifying as all of these beasts are,

this fourth beast is different.

In fact,

it doesn't even have an animal description

like the other three,

does it?

It's as if Daniel's looking at this terrifying beast.

He has nothing to compare it to.

It has ten horns,

and then another horn,

and this other little horn

has eyes and a mouth,

and this little horn can talk.

And if all of this sounds strange to you,

you are normal, okay?

And you're in good company.

This was strange to Daniel as well.

He wants to know,

what in the world am I looking at here?

We'll see soon enough,

but again,

if we're following the pattern of chapter 2,

we can identify this fourth beast

with the Roman Empire.

But for now,

for now,

this first point here,

we should recognize that

this scene from the earth,

this view from the ground,

so to speak,

it is a nightmare, isn't it?

This is a terrifying scene.

This isn't the big,

beautiful statue of Nebuchadnezzar's dream.

Daniel gets a different perspective.

He sees the ugliness of these human kingdoms.

These beasts are hideous,

ugly,

just monstrous creatures.

They're distorted images of God's good creation.

And we need to just pause here

just for a moment here

and recognize

this is how God has chosen

to communicate to Daniel

and to us

the ugliness of the kingdoms of man.

It's as if Daniel is seeing clearly

the ugliness of sin.

This is a picture of our depravity

left to ourselves

and our own natural sin nature.

Mankind is like beasts.

Our sin is ugly.

It deforms God's natural design.

This is not a pretty picture.

The kingdom of man

from Babylon

to Rome

to the present day,

this present evil age

and all who belong to it

are beastly.

Daniel

is looking at all of this

and then

all of a sudden

in verse 9

the scene changes.

He moves from

the scene on the earth

to scene number 2

which is the scene

in heaven.

Look there to verse 9.

Daniel says,

As I looked,

the thrones were placed

and the ancient of days

took his seat.

This is a vision

of God

himself.

Daniel looks up

from the evil

and the beastliness

of the world

and he sees

God,

the holy judge

taking his seat.

What does he say about him?

He says,

His clothing is

white as snow

and the hair of his head

is like pure wool.

This judge

on his throne

is holy,

holy,

holy.

His throne

was fiery flames.

Its wheels

were burning fire

and a stream of fire

issued and came out

from before him.

It says a thousand,

thousand served him

and ten thousand

times ten thousand

stood before him.

These are numbers

of perfection

and completion

and power.

This is a vision

of God

the holy judge

seated on his throne

in glory.

And in comparison

these beasts

don't look so big

and bad now

do they?

Unlike the scene

on earth

where the waters

raged

and the image

was chaotic

here in the throne

room of God

Revelation chapter 4

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

you can turn there

another time

after the service

Revelation chapter 4

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

it says the sea

around the throne

of God

in the throne room

of the Lord

the sea is

calm like glass.

like crystal.

That's a good reminder

for us isn't it

that from our

vantage point

here on earth

from our vantage point

here from the ground

everything seems

to often look chaotic

and things are

often chaotic

but we who know

the Lord

have been given

another perspective

haven't we?

We can look up

and remember

that no matter

what happens

here on the ground

our God

is on his throne

reign

and ruling

in heaven

and in heaven

at his throne

all is calm

this totally changes

Daniel's understanding

of the first scene

doesn't it?

Without this second scene

from heaven

there is no hope

what hope is there?

All hope is lost

he would say

I'm here in Babylon

and you're telling me

that more evil

beastly kingdoms

are coming after this

here I am in exile

in the first beast

you're saying

I have three more

to go here

and God says

yes but Daniel

I am holy

I am good

I am sovereign

I am just

I am God

and these beasts

will not have

the last word

the ancient of days

takes his seat

now it says

the court

sat in judgment

and books

were opened

this chapter

is a courtroom

scene

some of you

like to watch

these courtroom

legal drama

television shows

it's too dramatic

for me

and if you ever

watched one

you know that

at some point

a crime is committed

in that scene

in that moment

of the crime

happening

that criminal

is terrifying

they look dangerous

they look evil

they look big and bad

but then

when the moment comes

and they have to go

sit in a courtroom

maybe with their hands

cuffed

and the judge

comes

and the judge

takes his seat

and the judge

opens up his book

and the judge

prepares to give

judgment

they don't look so scary

at that moment

do they

in fact

that's a moment

of terror

for them

it's an anxious

moment

what will the verdict

be

and we

shouldn't move

quickly past

this scene

our God

is a God

of infinite power

he is

perfect

in holiness

perfect

in justice

he is

sovereignly

reigning

over all

the earth

our God

is just

he is the judge

of all

the earth

no sin

will go

unaddressed

every sin

will be dealt

with

Romans 14

12

it says

each one of us

will give an account

of himself

to God

it's a sobering

truth isn't it

God the holy

judge

sees

all

and he

will

bring

justice

which is

why what

Daniel sees

next

really is no

surprise at all

is it

Daniel shifts

his eyes

back to the

earth for a

moment

and as that

big bad

terrifying horn

is speaking

look what

happens

it's almost

like he's

in mid

sentence

he's

speaking

and poof

what happens

when God

is ready

to render

judgment

he is

done

he's

killed

instantly

the body

destroyed

burned

with fire

he doesn't

stand a

chance

as for

the rest

of the

beasts

their

dominion

was

taken

away

but

their

lives

prolonged

for how

long

until the

judge

says

time

is up

this is a picture

of a sovereign

God

reigning

and ruling

over his

creation

not a

moment of

time

here in

this chaotic

world

is outside

of his

control

this is good

news for

us

church

this change

of scenery

changes

everything

doesn't it

the view

from the

air

is completely

different

from the

view

from the

ground

we have

been

given

the gift

of knowing

the ancient

of days

Christian

we have

been given

the gift

of knowing

that God

is on

his throne

sovereign

reigning

and ruling

and yet

far too

often

you and I

we're

we're guilty

of forgetting

this glorious

perspective

aren't we

far too

often

we get

so twisted

up about

what's going

on here

in the

first scene

and the

chaos here

in the

kingdom of

man

that we

forget

we take

our eyes

off of

the second

scene

we take

our eyes

off of

the reign

and rule

of a

sovereign

God

we forget

to remember

the perspective

of God

in heaven

as he reigns

and rules

over all

things

which is why

Paul has

to remind

us

set your

mind

on things

above

where Christ

is

seated

at the

right

hand

of

God

set

your

minds

there

at the

throne

of

heaven

set

your

minds

there

don't set

your

minds

here

on the

beast

you'll go

crazy

set

your

minds

in

heaven

our

sovereign

God

sits

on his

throne

in

heaven

and he

will triumph

over the

chaos

of this

world

and here

in verses

13

and 14

he shows

us

exactly

how

he will

do it

how will

God

triumph

over the

kingdom

of man

look there

to verses

13

and 14

Daniel

says

again

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

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

is one

that shall

not be

destroyed

see the

plan

now

is getting

clearer

isn't it

this

this is how

God

wins

this is how

God

conquers the

kingdom

of man

all of these

beasts

they fade

into the

background

the worst

of them

is destroyed

and he

brings forth

his own

kingdom

totally

unlike

those four

beastly

kingdoms

that came

before it

this

kingdom

he says

is glorious

it is

universal

all tribes

and languages

and nations

and people

it is

eternal

it will

never

pass away

it is

undefeatable

it cannot

be destroyed

God has

this glorious

kingdom

and then he

gives this

kingdom

to one

Daniel says

like a

son of

man

he's not

like the

beast

that came

before him

is he

clearly

he is

he's human

he's

true

humanity

and yet

there's

clear echoes

of divinity

here as

well

aren't there

he's

coming

with the

clouds

of heaven

that's

language

that's

reserved

really only

for God

himself

Psalm

Psalms 104:3

104

verse 3

this king

he lives

forever

he's able

to receive

this glorious

eternal

kingdom

and out

of all

the beastliness

of the

kingdom

of man

this

son of

man

just

walks

right up

to this

fiery

throne

of God

as one

who has

a right

to this

kingdom

and God

the judge

the ancient

of days

he says

it's yours

you are

worthy

to receive

it

all the

peoples

and nations

and languages

on the

planet earth

will serve

you

this is

your

kingdom

that's

the plan

God

conquers

the kingdom

of man

by the

son of

man

friend

I don't

think I

have to

tell you

there is

no country

here like

that

there is

not a

place

on planet

earth

America

or otherwise

that fits

this description

glorious

universal

eternal

undefeatable

there's no

country here

like that

there's no

leader

here like

this

our heart

ought to

leap from

our chest

when we read

these verses

and say

I want to

be a part

of that

kingdom

kingdom

I want

to be a

part of

that

glorious

kingdom

I want

to serve

that

glorious

king

I want

to be a

part of

this

eternal

kingdom

I want

to be a

part of

the kingdom

of glory

that will

last

forever

and to

that

I say

good

if that's

the inclination

of your

heart

that's

good

that's

what you

were made

for

you are

welcome

the truth

is the

invitation

to join

the kingdom

of God

is cast

far and

wide

if you

want to

come

in

you

may

come

in

how

by

turning

and

repenting

of

your

beastliness

and bowing

the knee

to the

son of

man

right now

but now

let me

tell you

what that

might cost

you

you need

to understand

exactly

what that

will mean

for you

because when

you become

a citizen

of the

kingdom

of God

you are

now an

exile

in the

kingdom

of man

and when

you become

a citizen

of the

kingdom

of God

guess what

happens

you now

have entered

into a

war

with the

powers of

darkness

you have

now entered

into a

war

that has

been won

the outcome

is decided

it's a war

that's worth

fighting because

God himself

is worthy

but still

church it is a

war

Daniel

considers all

of this

and when he

sees these

things

verse 15

it says that

his spirit

was anxious

within him

he walked

up to

one who

stood there

most likely

this is an

angel

and he

asks a

really

good

question

what

in the

world

have I

just

seen

what

does

all of

this

mean

and so

he gives

a summary

here

of the

vision

in verses

19

through

28

the

angel

he

summarizes

all of

it in

two

sentences

verses

17

and 18

he says

these four

beasts

are four

kings

who shall

arise

out of

the earth

we've seen

this

but the

saints

of the

most high

shall receive

the kingdom

and possess

the kingdom

forever

forever

and ever

but Daniel

needs a little

bit more

explanation

than that

doesn't he

he keeps

pressing

he wants

to know

what we

want to

know

he wants

to know

more about

this fourth

beast

beast

tell me

more about

these ten

horns

who now

Daniel fills

in a little

bit more

of the

picture here

of what

he saw

he says

they had

eyes and

a mouth

that spoke

great things

and it

made war

with the

saints

and prevailed

over them

until the

ancient of

days came

and judgment

was given

for the

saints of

the most

high

and the

time came

when they

possessed

the kingdom

what does

all of

this

mean

this fourth

beast

again

is Rome

but I

think that

is clear

it extends

beyond

Rome

these ten

horns

that are

coming up

out of

that ten

beast

that he

says are

ten kings

that shall

arise out

of this

beastly

kingdom

now listen

I don't

know who

these ten

kings are

I don't

know

necessarily

that they

are exactly

ten

literal

kings

in fact

I'm

inclined

to say

again

ten being

a number

of completion

that this

is

representative

of the

fullness

of the

wicked

kingdoms

in between

the two

comings

of Christ

Christ

enters

into the

world

at the

beginning

of the

Roman

empire

and

there's

evil

and

persecution

and

wickedness

that extends

from the

first to the

second coming

of Christ

but at the

end

out of that

legacy

of evil

one

will

arise

a little

horn

one

final

beastly

king

in verse

25

tells us

what this

little horn

is like

it says

he will

speak

words

against

the

most

high

and he

will wear

out

the saints

of the

most high

he will

think

to change

times

and the

law

in other

words

he will

blaspheme

God

he will

persecute

the people

of God

and he

will try

and make

himself

be like

God

and it's

my belief

that this

little horn

is the

antichrist

Paul tells us

in 2

2 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

Thessalonians

chapter 2

he says

the return

of Christ

will not

come

unless

the rebellion

comes first

and the man

of lawlessness

is revealed

the son

of destruction

who

opposes

and exalts

himself

against every

so called

God

or object

of worship

so that he

takes his

seat

in the

temple

of God

proclaiming

himself

to be

God

I believe

this is

the antichrist

now

I cannot

think of

many more

topics

that have

caused

more wild

speculation

than the

topic of

the antichrist

but we

don't need

to speculate

the fact is

God's word

does not

identify

this man

of lawlessness

God's word

does not

tell us

who this

little horn

may be

and so

really we

need to be

okay not

knowing with

certainty what

God has not

revealed to

us

what it does

say however

is that his

main weapons

against the

people of

God

is not

physical

threats

they are

his words

do you notice

what he

continues to

say over

and over

and over

again about

this little

horn

he is

speaking

great things

you notice

that

he is

speaking

against the

most high

he is

wearing out

the saints

I believe

by constant

deception

and pressure

to compromise

the truth

he is aiming

to lead

these saints

away from

true worship

how?

by deceiving

them with

lies

and this is

Satan's

playbook

from the

very beginning

isn't it?

he is

speaking

against

God

to deceive

the saints

and to

distort

the word

of God

I love

how

Andrew

Steinman

puts it

he says

this

he says

the kind

of persecution

that is

most dangerous

for the saints

is not

some future

worldwide

political

ruler

who could

deprive them

of earthly

goods

limit

commerce

require a

numerical

mark on

their bodies

or even

take their

physical

lives

instead

the most

dangerous

persecution

is the

insidious

corruption

of the

gospel

of justification

through

Christ

alone

and its

replacement

by a

false

gospel

that mixes

faith

with works

and false

spirituality

if that's

true

then church

the best

way to

defend

yourself

against

these attacks

to defend

yourself

against him

isn't to

build a

bunker

or to

avoid

microchips

or to

make sure

that your

credit cards

don't end

in 666

but rather

church

to devote

yourself

to the

truth

remind

yourself

of the

gospel

build

your life

on the

word

of God

meditate

on God's

word

day and

night

grow up

into

Christ

so that

you're not

tossed

to and

fro

by every

wind

of false

doctrine

be like

a good

bank

teller

they don't

spot the

fakes

because they

study

the

fakes

they

spot

the

fakes

because

they

spend

every

day

hour

by

hour

handling

the

real

thing

church

give

yourself

to

the

word

of

God

let's

spend

more

time

delighting

in

what

God

has

said

than

obsessing

over

what

he's

left

unsaid

the

word

of

God

doesn't

tell us

who

this

little

horn

is

but

what

does

it

tell

us

verse

26

tells

us

the

court

shall

sit

in

judgment

and

his

dominion

shall

be

taken

away

to

be

consumed

and

destroyed

to

the

end

and

then

the

kingdom

and

the

dominion

and

the

greatness

of

the

kingdom

under

the

whole

heaven

shall

be

given

to

the

people

of

the

saints

of

the

most

high

his

kingdom

shall

be

an

everlasting

kingdom

and

all

dominions

shall

serve

and

obey

him

that's

what

we

ought

to

fix

our

minds

on

church

these

are

reasonable

questions

that

Daniel

asks

worthy

questions

questions

that we

all want

to know

the answer

to

who's

the

beast

who's

the

horn

worthy

questions

but

you

know

what

a

better

question

might

have

been

for

Daniel

and

for

us

who

is

this

son

of

man

who

is

the

son

of

man

he's

the

focus

of

the

passage

is

he

not

he's

he's

the

center

piece

of

history

he's

the

one

who's

worthy

of

our

attention

he's

the

one

who's

worthy

to

receive

this

eternal

kingdom

he's

the

one

that

all

nations

and

tribes

and

languages

will

serve

for

the

rest

of

eternity

who

is

this

son

of

man

we

know

the

answer

don't

we

this

glorious