Daniel 7:9-10 - Visions of Heaven, Part I: The Ancient of Days

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Yes, we did pick every song we could think of about that same theme this morning and

sang them all.

So that's always fun.

Here's the roadmap for this morning.

Long introduction, short sermon, great lunch.

Okay?

Y'all, anybody up for that?

Yep, you in for that?

You're voting for the short sermon part, aren't you?

Those of you who sat through Sunday school with me already deserve the short sermon part.

It's just for you.

But there is a long introduction.

So let me start with that long introduction before we read our passage for this morning.

We're at the point in the book of Daniel where we begin to shift from stories about the life

of Daniel and his friends living in Babylon and how they engage there, things that happen

in their lives, to visions that Daniel has of the future, visions that happen during those

years where there are fiery furnaces and lions' dens and so forth.

But visions of the future God gives to Daniel that are recorded in these last six chapters

of the book.

This is what now in the second half of the book is called apocalyptic literature.

What that means is that this is the revelation of the Old Testament.

Some of you I know have studied revelation recently.

If you've ever studied revelation, you know what it's like, right?

It's chock full of incredible imagery and brilliant metaphors, wild pictures of beasts and battles

and heaven and hell, all of these sorts of things.

And that dynamic doesn't mean that the things described aren't real.

It just means we recognize that often they can't be fully described by even the one who's

seeing the vision.

The emotion that's meant to be communicated by them requires this intense imagery, these

vivid pictures.

In fact, it's clear here in Daniel's visions that the ones he has should startle us, should

some of them frighten us, should others of them shock us.

That's what happens to Daniel himself when he sees these things in chapter 7.

But I want us to ask the question, what is apocalyptic literature about?

What are these visions of?

What is it that we're seeing and reading?

Perhaps when you think of apocalypse, you think of the end of the world, right?

A tragic ending, a gloom and doom and terrible things happening in the end of the world.

That's the way it's popularly talked about.

That's not entirely unhelpful, actually.

Daniel does have visions about other parts of history that lead up to the end times, but

much of this is about the end.

That's why there's so much controversy around so much of it.

What does it mean and how's it all going to be in the end times?

And much of it is indeed dark and dangerous.

But it's important to understand this about Revelation, the book of Revelation, as well as

this apocalyptic literature here in the next few chapters of Daniel, it's not just given

to be scary and dark.

As dark as they are, God gives the visions of the future and of heaven to his people, not

merely to frighten them, but to encourage his struggling people.

So that they are not surprised to find themselves suffering and sinking.

So that they can be hopeful in a day yet to come when God will be finally victorious, when

God's enemies will be judged, and when God's people will be saved.

That's part of this literature as well.

And that's why I want us in the next few weeks to slow down and get a look at what I'll call

visions of heaven.

We're going to jump around a little in Daniel 7 through 12 each week, but we'll be looking

at those visions that Daniel has.

You see, I would contend that we don't think about heaven enough.

I don't.

I don't think about heaven enough.

I suspect many of you are like me in that thoughts of heaven get put into this category

of I'll use them when I get there.

That will be nice to know when I get there, but I'm not there yet.

Kind of the way I treat thoughts of retirement.

Or some of you may treat thoughts of adulthood or growing up and being a big...

I mean, there's a lot to learn about that, but I'll handle it when I get there.

That will be helpful to me when I arrive at that point.

And you can see when you think about retirement or adulthood how unhelpful and dangerous that

can be to put off thoughts of what that will be like until you're already in the midst of

it.

The same is true with heaven.

We feel like we've got all we can handle today, right?

I'm just trying to make it through day by day.

I have no time to think of heaven.

It'll be there when I need it.

After all, as many of us have heard, when we think about heaven, we know that we don't

want to be so heavenly minded that we're no earthly good, right?

That's a common phrase.

Johnny Cash even sang about that.

I don't want to be like that.

I mean, I want to be actually earthly good.

I don't want to walk around with my head in the clouds, no help to anybody.

But the Bible actually paints quite a different picture about the practical value today of

thoughts of heaven.

We've seen already in the book of Daniel, and we're going to see more, how remembering

eternal realities and God's eternal perspective enables us to engage as we are called to here

in this world.

Paul agrees with that need to think more of heaven for today.

Colossians chapter 3, if then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.

Think of heaven.

Our minds are to be set on those eternal realities, right?

C.S.

Lewis has famously said it this way in his classic Mere Christianity.

He says,

A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not, as some modern people think,

a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do.

It does not mean that we're to leave the present world as it is.

If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world

were just those who thought most of the next.

The apostles themselves who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire,

the great men who built up the Middle Ages,

the English evangelicals who abolished the slave trade,

all left their mark on earth precisely because their minds were occupied with heaven.

It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world

that they have become so ineffective in this one.

Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in.

Aim at earth and you will get neither, Lewis says.

I think this is exactly why in the midst of the difficult realities of life

in which Daniel found himself, that God kept giving him these visions.

All the way through the stories we've already studied,

what was keeping Daniel going?

God was giving him visions of heaven.

It's what he actually needed to live there in Babylon.

I think a clear vision of heaven is helpful to us in at least two ways

before we jump into the first one.

First, it's helpful to us because seeing the end of the story,

understanding where the story's headed and what the end is,

helps us live appropriately in our part in the story.

Theologian N.T. Wright uses the example of a Shakespearean play

to talk about how this works.

Shakespeare, if you're not an English major,

often wrote his dramas in five acts, okay?

So imagine that you're a character in a Shakespearean drama,

maybe Hamlet, and you've read the first three acts.

You've lived in them there.

You know what Hamlet is like there.

And then if you get act five, you know the end of the story.

You may lose your script for act four,

but you're going to have a pretty good idea how Hamlet should act,

what kinds of things he would say,

what's appropriate for him in that context,

because you understand the story,

where it started and where it's headed.

If we imagine that the first three acts, so to speak,

or what the Bible tells us in terms of the creation of the world,

the fall of man, the history of Old Testament Israel,

the coming of Jesus,

there's the beginning of the story,

and we know that.

If we can live today in light of where the story is headed,

in light of the end, if we know the end,

then we'll know how to live as we ought right now

in act four, so to speak, where we are.

If we know where it's all going,

if we know who finally wins,

if we know what really matters eternally,

we will live now as we should.

Getting a vision of the future helps us live now

in our part of God's story.

And then secondly, a clear vision of heaven

also helps us because there's a present reality

that it reminds us of.

I'll illustrate that with this story.

When George Shultz was Secretary of State

in Ronald Reagan's administration,

Shultz kept a globe in his office.

And whenever ambassadors to other countries

would come in and meet with him,

he would send them out,

and on their way out the door,

he would say,

tell me, where's your country?

Point to your country on that globe on your way out.

And every one of them had done that very successfully.

That was a good sign.

You know, if you couldn't find where you were headed,

you needed to stay back and get some more training.

And then one day,

a guy named Mike Mansfield was in his office.

This Mansfield was the ambassador to Japan.

And they met,

and Mansfield got up to leave,

and just like everybody else,

he was asked,

point to your country.

And Mansfield spun the globe

and put his finger on the United States of America

and turned back to Shultz and said,

this is my country.

And Shultz told that story

to every other ambassador that he would meet with.

And he would say to them,

never forget,

you're over there in that country,

but your country is the United States.

You are there to represent us.

It is a present reality for us as God's people

that we are citizens of where?

Of heaven.

That that's our home.

That that is the country

that we are truly first and foremost citizens of.

We're exiles on earth.

Our true home is in heaven

where we are already seated with Christ,

Paul tells us.

So a clear vision of heaven

helps us remember

not merely what will be true one day someday,

but what is already true today,

that we are ambassadors for heaven

and the king of heaven here on earth.

All right,

thus endeth the long introduction.

All of it serving to say

for the next couple of weeks

that we,

like Daniel,

need a clear vision of heaven.

The first one we'll see today

comes in chapter 7

at verse 9.

Daniel 7 at verse 9.

This is God's holy word.

Daniel says,

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 thousands served him

and ten thousand times

ten thousand stood before him.

The court sat in judgment

and the books were opened.

Thus far,

God's holy word.

Let's pray.

God,

this is your word

and we need your help

that we might see you

more clearly.

Holy Spirit,

teach us,

speak in ways

that I can't

to my heart,

to all of our hearts,

that we might be changed today

by what we see

of one day,

someday.

We ask it in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Have you ever seen

a decorated military officer

from a distance?

You know,

across a room

or in a small shot

on television?

And you've seen him

and you see his chest

decorated with all sorts

of medals and everything

and just from a distance

your initial impression is,

wow,

that's impressive.

This guy is pretty special.

This is no average guy.

He's important.

He's heroic.

I can see the medals.

I can tell there are stars

on his shoulder.

Due to your distance from him

or perhaps your ignorance

of military honors,

you may not know

any of the specifics.

The things there

may not mean anything

particular to you,

but at first glance

you're impressed anyway.

And then you get up close

and you shake his hand

and you learn

that the stars were earned

by a particular rank

and that that purple heart

is what it's called

was earned

in a particular incident

where he acted

very heroically

and now you're impressed again,

right?

But in a different way

by knowing the particulars

of who the man is.

I think we need to have

both of those experiences

this morning

with the vision

Daniel gets

of the Ancient of Days

on his throne.

Remember,

these visions

are meant to evoke

emotional response,

to paint a picture,

give an overall impression

of something.

What is the image

portrayed here

when you just listen

and imagine

the picture that's painted?

Listen to it again.

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.

Whatever the particulars,

even if you don't know

what any of that means,

you can already tell

this is a vision

of someone important.

Right?

The words that came to mind

for me

as I read it this week

were majesty,

authority,

grandeur,

images like that.

Picture the infinite sea

of people bowing before him.

That's what's being pictured here.

Bowing before him

and surrounding him

to serve him.

infinite stretching

as far as the eye can see.

John's vision of God's throne room

in Revelation 4

highlights some different details

but also shows us the response.

These other people

surrounding the throne

who are responding

to what they see on the throne.

Let's read this description

and get a picture of it

from Revelation 4.

At once I was in the spirit

and behold a throne stood in heaven

with one seated on the throne

and he who sat there

had the appearance

of Jasper and Carnelian

and around the throne

was a rainbow

that had the appearance

of an emerald.

Around the throne

were 24 thrones

and seated on the thrones

were 24 elders

clothed in white garments

with golden crowns

on their heads.

From the throne

came flashes of lightning

and rumblings

and peals of thunder

and before the throne

were burning seven torches

of fire

which are the seven spirits

of God

and before the throne

there was as it were

a sea of glass

like crystal

and around the throne

on each side of the throne

are four living creatures

full of eyes

in front and behind.

The first living creature

like a lion

the second living creature

like an ox

the third living creature

with the face of a man

and the fourth living creature

like an eagle in flight.

And the four living creatures

each of them

with six wings

are full of eyes

all around and within

and day and night

they never cease to say

holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty

who was and is

and is to come.

And whenever the living creatures

give glory and honor

and thanks to him

who is seated on the throne

who lives forever and ever

the 24 elders fall down

before him

who is seated on the throne

and worship him

who lives forever and ever

they cast their crowns

before the throne

saying worthy are you

our Lord and God

to receive glory

and honor and power

for you created all things

and by your will

they existed

and were created.

You get a picture

of their response

when they see

the throne of God?

Holy, holy, holy

they keep saying

all the time.

Worthy of honor

and glory

and power

that's the picture

that we get

that's the response

that ought to come.

There's no doubt

when we read

Daniel's vision

we've got a majestic ruler

sitting on the throne

someone awesome

and glorious.

But then let's look up close

and understand

the particular metals

so to speak.

Now the specific parts

of the vision

are important too.

What do they teach us

about God?

What do we see

about him here?

First

notice his clothing.

His clothing was white

as snow.

God is entirely

pure

completely

righteous.

What this means

is that God

doesn't make mistakes.

He hasn't messed up.

He didn't do wrong

by you

even though sometimes

it may feel like it.

What e'er my God

ordains

is right

as the hymn writer says.

Entirely pure

and completely

righteous.

But his clothes

aren't all that's white

so is his hair.

White hair

as white

and pure

as lamb's wool.

The passage tells us

white hair

is often used

in these days

and in ours

to depict what?

Wisdom.

God is

most

wise.

His hair

is as white

as lamb's wool

a picture of something

as pure and white

as can be imagined.

He is the most

wise.

Have you ever felt

like you know

better than God?

I mean

who's going to admit

that in church

really?

I mean

you wouldn't have said it

yes somebody is.

You wouldn't have said it

that way

perhaps

but if you're like me

you've thought before

I know

what God

should do

now.

I see what

he's up to

and this is what

he needs to do

next.

God

this would be

so good

if you would

just help

this person.

If you would

just make this

work this way

that would be

the best thing.

It would make

so much sense.

And in my life

at least

that seems

to be a guarantee

for I've missed

something.

I've gotten

caught up

in my own

plans

and ideas

and forgotten

what was

really

best.

Tim Keller

says this

God will

either

give us

what we

ask

or give us

what we

would have

asked

if we knew

everything

God

knows.

Interesting.

Either what we

ask

or what we

would have

asked

if we knew

everything

God knows.

He knows

what is best

because he

is most

wise.

Next we see

God is the

powerful

warrior.

Look at the

rest of

verse 9.

His throne

was fiery

flames.

Its wheels

were burning

fire.

A stream

of fire

issued and

came out

from before

him.

This is no

normal throne.

It's not

just some

tiny chair

is it?

This is a

chariot.

A war

chariot

with fire

coming out

with wheels

on it.

It pictures

God as the

mighty general

ready to

carry out

justice

and vengeance.

patience.

He's not

some meek

loving

grandfather

in the sky

known only

for his

gentleness.

No this

is a

powerful

warrior

with fire

coming forth

from his

throne

to consume.

But maybe

it's just

a powerful

guy just

sitting there

waiting to

be told

what he's

allowed to

do,

where he

can go

in force.

Maybe this

is just

the muscle

with no

real authority.

Could that

be?

No way.

Perhaps the

clearest detail

communicated in

this vision

of God

is that God

is the

final judge,

the ultimate

authority.

That's how it

begins and

ends with

thrones placed

in the

ancient of

days taking

his seat on

what we find

out is the

center throne

from that

picture in

Revelation.

The court

sat in

judgment and

the books

were opened.

Who else

needed to

sit down

before the

court could

start?

Nobody.

The judge

has taken

his seat

and he's

ready to

start.

The image

is one of

God as

judge.

He is the

one who

decides who

is raised

up and

who is

cast down.

He is the

one dispensing

judgments on

all of

history.

He is the

one in

whose

righteous

and wise

hands is

the authority

for all

decisions.

In fact,

that's immediately

what happens

in the next

two verses

after this

vision.

Without

awaiting a

jury vote,

without a

lot of

fanfare,

great human

kings and

kingdoms are

dethroned and

destroyed in

an instant.

Justice is

served.

The ancient

of days is

seated on the

throne and

there is no

room for

anyone else.

An awesome

vision of our

glorious and

mighty God.

Last question

this morning.

When do we

need this

vision?

Well, you

said a vision

of heaven would

be practically

helpful in the

here and now.

Would be

something that

would help

me today.

I mean, of

course, it's

always helpful to

see God more

clearly, but when

do we especially

need this

vision?

We could make

up answers, but

in what context

does God give it

to Daniel and

the rest of his

people?

When does he

think we need

it?

It's actually

really interesting

if you start at

the beginning of

Daniel 7, when

the ancient of

days shows up.

Because the

vision up to

that point is

actually not about

heaven.

All the way up to

verse 9 where we

started, the first

eight verses are

about the next few

hundred years of

human history after

Daniel.

They're about kings

and kingdoms and

wars and terrible

things that are

going on.

And with no

transition whatsoever,

it shifts to the

throne room of

heaven.

Look, this is the

end of those first

eight verses.

I considered the

horns on one of

these beasts, one

of these kings.

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 in

a mouth, speaking

great things.

As I looked, thrones

were placed in the

ancient of days, took

his seat.

He shows up right

there in the midst

of it with no

transition.

It's as though your

television set is

sounding beep, beep,

beep.

We interrupt this

current broadcast to

give you breaking

news of something

else that's happening

simultaneously somewhere

else.

Right in the midst of

human history, of

great conflict, of

deep evil, another

reality is true.

And the camera just

pans over to the

ancient of days, seated

on his throne, right

in the midst of it.

Let me read you just

a sample of the

setting that the

vision comes in to

help us see when we

especially need it.

Chapter 7, as I said,

actually begins with a

vision of kingdoms.

And the vision is very

similar to the one we

talked about in

chapter 2 when

Nebuchadnezzar had a

dream of a statue

that was crushed, if you

remember that.

This vision and the

one in chapter 8 that

I'll reference here

speak of the kingdoms

of Babylon and Persia

and Greece and

Alexander the Great

and Rome and so

forth with some

really amazingly

accurate detail.

But here's the

situation.

Look at some of the

things going on.

Daniel begins his

vision.

He sees a vision in

there.

Four winds of heaven

stirring up the great

sea and four great

beasts come out of the

great sea different

from one another.

The first a lion,

with eagle's wings.

The second a bear who's

told, arise, devour

much flesh.

That's what that king

does.

And then there's another

like a leopard who

rises fast with four

wings of a bird on its

back and had four heads

and dominion was given

to this one, this

powerful one.

And then there's the

fourth one.

Terrifying and dreadful

and exceedingly strong.

Great iron teeth that

devoured and broke in

pieces and stamped what

was left with its feet.

A powerful but painful

infliction on God's

people and many others.

Go to the next screen.

Verse 21.

As I looked, this horn

that was on the last

beast made war with the

saints and prevailed over

them.

This fourth powerful beast

that was terrifying and

dreadful is prevailing over

God's people.

He shall speak words

against God himself, the

Most High, and shall wear

out the saints of the

Most High.

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.

And Daniel sees all of

this and what's happening

to God's people and he

says, as for me, Daniel,

my thoughts greatly

alarmed me and my color

changed.

He sees what's going to

happen to God's people and

it stresses him out.

He's deeply anxious.

We read in chapter 8 of

one of these rulers,

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.

And Daniel's response at

the end of that vision,

I was overcome and lay

sick for some days.

What's the general

impression given by these

parts of the vision?

What are our emotions when

we especially need this

vision of God?

Daniel feels it well,

doesn't he?

When we feel like him,

greatly alarmed,

overcome to the point of

being sick for days as he

sees the things that will

happen to God's people or

for us things that are

happening to God's people?

When we are overwhelmed,

when the world around us

seems to be spinning out

of control and we become

scared and when we feel

helpless and when we grow

increasingly anxious,

that's the general feel of

what's going on when you

read about wild beasts and

their terrifying power.

It's how we ought to feel,

isn't it?

And that's when God gives

the vision of himself.

That's when we need this

clear vision of God and of

our eternal home.

Have you felt like that

lately?

Overwhelmed or out of

control, scared, helpless,

anxious?

And this vision is

especially for you.

But now close up,

specifically what situations

does God give this vision

for?

Here's a few particulars from

these verses here in

Daniel.

First, when injustice

rages, when human

rulers war and fight,

when human power is used to

harm, not help,

when God's enemies have

exhausted God's people,

when God's people have

wandered after idols.

Those are the things going

on on the news when the

camera pans over to the

breaking news that the

ancient of days is on his

throne.

And God says that's not all

that's true.

That may be what's in the

news, but there's something

else.

A righteous, wise, powerful,

just judge on the throne

over it all.

And he gives you that picture

in order to bring true

comfort to you.

When injustice rages,

things that drive us crazy

and we can't seem to fix

them for ourselves or for

others that are being taken

advantage of, we need to see

the eternally just judge and

know that he will do right in

his time in a way we can trust

even to death.

When human rulers war and

fight and seek power and

everything seems to hang in the

balance of how this plays

out, we need to see the

ancient of days who is on his

throne long before the beast

took theirs and remains on his

throne well after the last one

is declawed.

And we need to know that our

ultimate home is there with our

father.

There where we will find true

safety and true rest.

When human power is used to harm

not help, we need to see the one

who is gracious with his power and

righteously protects the oppressed.

When God's enemies have exhausted

God's people so that we feel that the

wicked prosper and the righteous

perish and we can't stand before it any

longer, we need to see the eternal

victor who destroys those great

beasts with a flick of his wrist.

Who breaks their power, Daniel 8.25

with no human hand.

Second time we've seen that one in

Daniel, isn't it?

That rock from chapter 2 that was

hewn with no human hand.

The divine Savior who crushes the

kingdoms and becomes a rock that

fills the whole earth.

We need to see that Savior so that his

people finally see justice.

And when God's people have wandered

after idols and allowed other things

that won't last or fulfill us to

distract us from what's truly valuable,

we need to see the all-glorious,

ultimately worthy God who fights for us

and knows what's best for us and is worthy of

all of our praise and all of our attention

and time and zeal.

Do you see him there this morning?

Do you know that reality is true alongside

and above the reality that you are facing?

Do you know that the ancient of days has never

left the throne Daniel saw him on?

Do you know that he's there right now

just the way he was described in Daniel 7?

One more look because he is there now

and this is true for you today.

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.

Pray with me.

Our great God, King of all kings,

supreme judge over all judges,

we this morning join the multitude

surrounding that throne

and bowing before you

because we are not worthy.

And in proclaiming that you are worthy

and the honor and the glory and the power is yours,

Father, would you comfort us

with the reminder of your presence on the throne

that the just judge is on the throne

and he is also our good Father.

Father, we need that reminder today

when we would be so prone

to put ourselves on the throne

or to feel the throne is unoccupied.

It's not.

Give us that clear vision

that we may know where we're headed

and know where we already are

in heaven with you.

We ask it in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

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