The Everlasting Kingdom

during the Christmas season.

And so just the Christmas portion is performed with the hallelujah tacked on to the end.

But the hallelujah only ends part two, and there's actually a whole third part,

30 minutes of really beautiful music left to go,

music about the implications of the resurrection and eternity.

And I was a part of a performance of the Messiah at a church in Florida.

And after we performed, we did a lot of part three,

and after we did Messiah, an older gentleman came up to me and said,

now all that stuff after the hallelujah, did you write that?

And as graciously as I could, I replied to him, why, yes, I did.

Yeah.

So the end of Messiah paints for us a picture of eternity,

all made possible because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And we find that also in the book of Daniel.

In chapter 7, this book does the same thing.

But we often stop at chapter 6,

because there's a change in tone after chapter 6,

and Daniel becomes more difficult to read,

and we tend to ignore or overlook chapters 7 through 12.

And so the story of Daniel in the lion's den becomes, in our minds,

ipso facto the last chapter of the book of Daniel.

For the next few weeks, as we continue in Daniel,

we are going to encounter beauty, epic drama, horrible enemies,

and resplendent heroes.

Daniel is a beautiful work of art.

And if we are given some keys to unlock its meaning,

we can draw unceasing encouragement from its message.

Instead of the three typical points of a sermon,

I'm actually just going to ask two questions.

The first is, what in the world does all this mean?

And the second question I'm going to ask,

or we're going to ask together,

is, wow, wouldn't it be great to have a vision like this?

What does it mean?

Wouldn't it be nice to have a vision like this?

We're asking questions,

and so doing,

we're implying that we need God's help to answer them.

So let's ask his help right now.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father,

ancient of days,

you who sits on a throne of flames,

you who judges the world and all of its inhabitants rightly,

we need your wisdom

to understand this,

the vision you gave your servant, Daniel,

that in understanding it,

we might behold you rightly

and worship you rightly

and know your plan for us

and for the world,

which you created

and you love

and are determined

to rescue and redeem.

We pray these things in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So,

what does it all mean?

I think I asked,

what in the world

does it all mean?

That might sound a bit flippant,

but people do ask,

what does this all mean?

With a good deal of resignation.

Because it's very difficult to read.

It's not the clearest part of scripture

and most people move on to a part that is clearer.

This kind of literature is called apocalyptic literature.

Parts of the book of Daniel

and of Ezekiel

and the book of Revelation

are examples of apocalyptic literature.

Apocalyptic sounds a bit scary.

We hear the word apocalypse

and we think of vast, fiery destruction

or world-ending cataclysm

and it gets a little confusing

because many then try to read

specific current day events

and people into

these writings

and it's

understandable

because it often feels

like the end of the world

as it does now.

I mean, you feel it, right?

I mean, we have like these

we've come to these two options.

We didn't think

either one would get this far

and now they're both there

at the same time.

The Cubs

and the Indians

and the World Series

together.

Surely

the end of the world

is at hand.

Apocalyptic literature

has a lot to say

about the end times

but the end times

is not the primary goal

of this kind of literature.

The word apocalypse

actually means

revelation

to reveal.

Apocalyptic literature

reveals

not by predicting per se

but by showing us

what is going on

behind the veil

in events

present, past

and future.

What we see

behind the veil

is beautiful

and it's terrifying

and it's confounding

all at once.

So how do we understand it?

Well, we understand it

by knowing what it is

that it is trying

to accomplish

and by focusing

on what's clear

and what we know.

So what is

apocalyptic literature

trying to accomplish?

Well, biblical apocalyptic

like Daniel 7

has three goals.

The first,

to reveal the ending

of this present age

which is an age

characterized by conflict

and how it is replaced

by an age of peace.

Two,

to reveal the kingdoms

of this world

and how they are replaced

by the kingdom

of our Lord

and of his Christ.

And three,

the revelation

is unfolded

and complex

and mysterious imagery

in order to comfort

and exhort

the faithful.

You might want to

write these down

because this could apply

to Revelation,

Ezekiel, Daniel.

And if you're going through

the lectionary,

that's the tool

that Anglicans use

to go through the Bible

every two years.

Right now,

we're in the book

of Revelation.

The three keys,

age of conflict

replaced by age of peace.

Two,

kingdoms of this world

are replaced

by the kingdoms

of God

and of his Christ.

And three,

the mysterious imagery

is meant to comfort.

And comfort is exactly

what Daniel

and his fellow Israelites

needed.

The vision occurred

in the first year

of Belshazzar's reign.

Belshazzar's father,

Nabonidus,

was extremely unpopular.

He left the city

and left his son,

Belshazzar,

and charge.

In the same year,

Babylon would be hearing

rumblings from the north,

from the east,

about this new power

that's stirring up.

It overthrew

the Median Empire,

and this new Persian Empire

is big,

and it's led by

a charismatic leader

by the name of Cyrus.

Now, imagine yourself

as an Israelite.

Your homeland

has already been wiped out

by the Babylonians.

You're in exile

in this foreign land,

and you've been instructed

by God

to work

and to pray

for the good

of this city

and to make it

your home.

But now,

this empire's leadership

is extremely unstable,

and it wouldn't be hard

to imagine

this new

northern power

sweeping down

and destroying everything.

So what becomes of you?

Are you in exile

somewhere else?

Do you become a slave

to this new power?

Do you even survive?

Much less,

can you return

to your native land

someday?

What hope do you have?

And then God lifts the veil,

reveals to Daniel

what is really going on

in the world.

So let's look at this vision.

The first thing

that Daniel sees

is a sea.

In the Bible,

the sea is a symbol

of chaos

and opposition

to God.

Then out from this

tempest

of rebellion

comes four

creatures,

beasts,

what you heard about,

and we can call them

monsters.

They're hideous,

and each beast

is followed by another,

more hideous,

more gruesome.

The first three

have features

that resemble

earthly animals.

The fourth,

I don't know

what the fourth is.

It's hideous.

With iron teeth

that devour

and chew

and strong legs

which crush

anything it doesn't

devour.

And then it has

ten horns.

And three of those

horns are replaced

by another horn,

and that horn

has eyes

and teeth.

Well,

later in this chapter

we learn that the beasts

are kingdoms.

The vision declares

that Daniel's world

is being run

by a succession

of fearsome monsters

that will go

from bad

to worse,

each one more frightening

than the one before it.

So who or what

do these monsters represent?

Well,

if you look at the structure

of Daniel,

chapter seven

seems to be

a companion chapter

to chapter two.

Now in chapter two

we saw a vision.

that Nebuchadnezzar

had

of a statue

which represented

the kingdoms

of Babylon,

Persia,

Greece,

and Rome.

And is that what

these four beasts

represent?

Well,

probably.

Now can we identify

those ten horns?

Well,

some people have tried

to identify them

as perhaps

different caesars

that were particularly bad,

or maybe these are

ten or so rulers

throughout history

that have been

particularly bad

and there have been

efforts to identify

them.

Well,

Daniel himself

asks for an interpretation

of this vision.

He's especially

curious and frightened

probably

of this fourth beast

and the angel

obliges

and actually interprets

the dream for him

but doesn't identify

the kings

or the kingdoms,

which is important.

Remember,

we stick with

what we know.

So because these

identities remain

unknown,

the attempt to

identify

the various beasts

or horns

actually detracts.

it directs us

away from

the proper

interpretation

of the vision.

Now here's why.

Any interpretation

that says

that fourth beast

lies in the past

or lies

in the future

presumes

that our current

situation

is less beastly.

Remember,

one purpose

of this type

of literature

is to shed light

on the current

age of conflict

and of the kingdoms

of this world.

Now it's

in one sense

true

that we are

in the same age

as Daniel.

A big age.

An age of conflict.

And I'll explain

how that's true

in a minute.

But the situation

for God's people

has always been

beastly.

The dream tells us

that it continues

to be beastly

today.

In a brief survey

of world

Christianity

would quickly

reveal this to you.

So take

Asiya Bibi,

a Christian mother

of five,

who has been

on death row

in Pakistan

since 2010

on a charge

of blasphemy.

Take Christians

in Kenya

being targeted

by Al-Shabaab.

148 were killed

last year

in an attack

on a university.

Six were killed

just earlier this month

on a border raid.

Christians targeted

by this extremist group.

Or take Christians

who have recently

fled from Mosul

to Turkey.

Just two days ago,

three days ago,

on Thursday

in the Wall Street Journal,

there was an article

about how Turkey

is not going to let

Christians

return to Mosul

their homes,

their hometowns.

The situation

for God's people

is beastly.

Verse 25 says,

The beast

shall speak words

against the Most High,

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.

So how long

will that last?

Does it go on forever?

In ancient mythology,

yes,

the answer would be yes.

It does go on forever.

These two equal

ultimate realities,

chaos and order,

just continue in conflict

forever and ever.

But that's not

what the Bible says.

Daniel says

that the struggle

lasts for a time,

times,

and half a time.

And there have been

efforts to figure out

what that means,

how many days,

months, weeks, years,

does that mean?

Let's focus on

what we know.

We know that it's

a finite time.

It doesn't last forever.

Here and elsewhere,

the Bible repeatedly declares

that God alone

is ultimate,

and that in the end,

his order will prevail.

These four beasts,

they look nightmarish,

but the focus of the passage

isn't on the beasts

per se.

It's on the ultimate fate

that they look forward to,

on the day of judgment.

On that day,

God wins

the final victory.

God will have us

not look at the beasts,

but to look at the throne.

And there we see

the Ancient of Days,

wise,

glorious,

beautiful,

powerful.

The English Puritans

would have used words like

awful

and terrible.

There he sits on his throne,

righteous

in judgment.

And someone like

a son of man

is presented

to the Ancient of Days.

What is Daniel seeing here?

What is this

one who looks like

a son of man?

Well,

son of man

simply means

human,

much like

how the Pevensies

are referred to

in the Chronicles of Narnia

as sons of Adam

and daughters of Eve.

Just

human.

But this verse says

like a son of man.

So this figure

represents,

excuse me,

resembles humanity.

But he also comes

with the clouds

of heaven.

Now that's an expression

that the Bible

uses to refer

to God.

So Daniel would have

seen someone

that was

like human

and God

at the same time.

Now it just so happens

that this expression,

son of man,

was one of Jesus'

favorite titles

to apply to himself.

As a matter of fact,

the night before

he goes to the cross,

he is before

the chief priest

and the elders

and the scribes

and he says to them,

this is great.

It's just wonderful

to see the Bible

like tie

all together.

He says,

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.

And then they go nuts.

This is blasphemy,

they say.

Because they know

exactly what he's

trying to do.

He's referring to

Daniel 7.

He's identifying

himself with this

figure who is

human and God

at the same time.

And in Daniel 7,

which direction

is this figure

who is like

the son of man

going?

Is he descending

on clouds?

No.

He's going up.

He's ascending.

We see in Daniel 7

the ascension

of Christ.

That event

that happened

40 days

after the resurrection.

In Acts chapter 1

Acts 1 · chapter mention

we read,

as Jesus'

disciples

were looking on,

he was lifted up.

And a cloud

took him

out of their sight.

One of my

favorite illustrations

from the Bible

is by the German

Albrecht Durer.

it's the ascension

of Christ.

It's actually

on the cover

of your bulletin.

It's very clever.

You can just see

Jesus' feet.

And you see

the cloud,

right?

And as an aside,

what I particularly

like about this

illustration

is it doesn't

present Jesus

as having gone

miles and

miles

into the sky.

Jesus ascends

to heaven

but he remains

near.

You see that?

He will remain

close to his people.

Christ's ascension

is the culmination

of his redemptive

work here on earth.

That redemptive

work included

his suffering,

his crucifixion,

his burial,

and his resurrection

from the dead.

And it's

redemptive

and we need it

to be redemptive

because of what we read

in Daniel chapter 7

Daniel 7:10

verse 10.

There is a court

that sits in judgment

and books

are opened.

So when the books

of our lives

are opened,

the books of our lives,

what shall be found?

Well, we know

what's going to be found

because we confess

every Sunday

that we have sinned

against God

and thought,

word,

and deed

by what we have done

and by what we have

left undone.

But in love,

the ancient of days

sent his own son

to endure the punishment

that we deserve

and to conquer death

for us,

something we couldn't do

for ourselves.

We become one

with God's son.

And that is how

we too will be given

the kingdom

to possess

forever.

Forever

and ever.

There's something

interesting about the timing.

We said that the

biblical apocalyptic

shows us how the

current age of conflict

is replaced by

the kingdoms of our

Lord and of his Christ,

by an age of peace.

Now in Jesus' time,

the Jews believed

that this moment

in kingdoms here

or replaced by

the kingdoms here

and this age

replaced by this age

is one decisive event.

The king would come,

judge his enemies

and bring the age of peace.

But in Jesus,

this is what happened.

The ages

overlapped.

And this is how

we can be in the

same age as Daniel.

And yet the kingdom

of God has still come.

There was a decisive event

but it hasn't been

consummated yet.

And so we live

in the current age

and in the age to come.

It's the already

but not yet.

And so the saints

must still wait.

Even while the kingdom

of God renews the world

and while we enjoy

our participation

in that renewal

by feeding the poor,

preaching good news,

welcoming the stranger,

even in the midst

of this renewal,

the beasts still trample

and devour

and destroy.

So,

while the beasts

are doing that

and while we wait,

wouldn't it be great

to have a vision?

Why does Daniel

get this vision?

Why can't I

in the middle of the night

have this amazing vision

of the ancient of the days

with hair

that's bright white

like wool

and rivers of fire

flowing from his throne?

Wouldn't that

encourage you?

I would love,

I think,

to have a vision

like that.

Think how encouraged

you would be.

But here's the thing.

God has given us

something better

than this vision.

He's given us Jesus.

Hebrews 1.1

says

that long ago

at many times

and in many ways

God spoke to our fathers

by the prophets.

He spoke

through a vision

to one of his prophets,

Daniel.

But,

in these last days

he has spoken to us

by his son

whom he appointed

the heir of all things.

The son beats any vision

you could ever have.

He's the ultimate revelation.

We see the son

and we see

who God is

and we see

what God's plan is

for us

and for a creation

that he loves

and is intending

to fully redeem

and rescue.

Dreams and prophecies

are helpful

but they're incomplete.

It's the person of Jesus

who most clearly

shows us

who God is

and what his plan is.

The person of Jesus

who walked on this earth,

he ate

and he drank,

he stubbed his toe

and laughed with his friends

and wept when they died.

Look on him.

Magnify him.

When you're anxious

or fearful

or sad

or depressed

or lonely

or despondent

or afraid.

How do we do that?

We look to the Gospels.

The first four books

of the New Testament,

Matthew, Mark, Luke

and John

give us four portraits

of this figure

who was like

the Son of Man.

So if you lack hope

or if you have

a deep

unfulfilled longing,

spend time in Matthew.

Immerse yourself

in Matthew.

Matthew gives us

a picture

of Jesus

who came to fulfill

the hope of a nation,

Israel,

and fulfilled

all the prophecies

made about the Messiah.

If you feel like

you lack

power

and authority,

that is,

if you feel

sin

or sickness

or addiction

or depression

or workaholism

has you beat,

then immerse yourself

in the book of Mark

who paints

a picture

of Jesus

who was like

an action hero

going from victory

to victory,

conquering

the devil

and his works,

conquering

sin

and sickness

and then he

confers that authority

on those

who follow him.

If you

feel like

you are

on the margins

or if your heart

breaks

for those

who live

on the margins,

if you feel

like you lack

belonging,

then live

in the book

of Luke

which paints

a picture

of Jesus

constantly

going to those

who are

on the fringes,

loving them

and identifying

with him.

And if you

feel like

the world

is full

of darkness

and despair,

then live

in the book

of John

which paints

a picture

of Jesus

as being

light,

light that has

come

into the darkness,

Jesus who brings

light

and life.

if November

8th scares

you to death,

then return

to Daniel

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

chapter 7.

Look behind

the veil.

See God,

the judge,

on his throne

and you will

see something

Daniel didn't

know to look

for.

You will see

Jesus,

the one,

like a son

of man,

being 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.

Take heart,

you saints.

For though it

seems like the

powers of this

world may prevail,

the Ancient of

Days comes

and you will

possess the kingdom,

an everlasting

kingdom.

let's pray.

God of our

ancestors,

God of our

people,

before whose

face the human

generations pass

away,

we thank you

that in you

we are kept

safe forever,

that the broken

fragments of our

history are gathered

up in the redeeming

act of your dear

son.

Help us to walk

daily in the

communion of

saints,

declaring our

faith in the

forgiveness of

sins and the

resurrection of

the body.

For your glory,

not for ours,

for yours and

yours alone.

We pray in

Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.