In the ancient world, many pagans believed that history is like a circle: whatever has happened before will happen again, over and over and over, and we are never really going anywhere. In a seminary philosophy class I took a number of years ago, Professor Ronald Nash told us that if this cyclical view of history is correct, it means we will have to sit through his philosophy class an infinite number of times in the future! But the pagan view of history did not last. Christianity changed the way people thought about history. According to the Christian faith, history is definitely going somewhere. The day is coming when God will judge the world, answer all evil, and establish his kingdom in righteousness through the reign of his Son. Unfortunately, this “linear” view of history has been taken over by non-Christian ways of thinking. As the world moved into the modern age, people began to remove God from history but still hold on to the belief that it is going somewhere. And that brings us to where we are today, with the modern notion of progress. According to those who are called “progressives,” we who oppose cultural trends (which in our day are almost entirely related to sexuality and gender) are “on the wrong side of history.” History is going somewhere, and we can tell which way is right by looking at which side seems to have momentum. If you don’t jump on board with that side, you are on the wrong side, and history will judge you harshly as a result.
So let’s acknowledge the fact that, as Christian believers who are holding on to the historic faith of the church regarding human nature, gender, and marriage, we are “on the wrong side of history” in the eyes of cultural leaders. What do we do? We might be tempted to think that the only way forward is to fight as hard as we can to get history back on our side, and so we might put all of our hopes into the political process. Or, realizing that politicians are not worthy of that level of trust, we might be tempted to throw up our hands in despair. Or, perhaps, instead of succumbing to despair, we might be tempted to say, “Maybe I should rethink my understanding of the Bible’s teaching on sexuality,” or, “Maybe I should rethink my understanding of the Bible’s authority on this question.” Feeling the pressure to compromise, we might be tempted to switch sides and so get ourselves on the right side of history.
I believe Daniel’s vision here in chapter 7 presents us with a better option. Daniel’s vision basically tells us that history is moving in a bad direction, that there is really nothing we can do to stop that, and that we should, nevertheless, take heart and persevere in faithfulness to our God, because he will win in the end. The “right side of history,” according to Daniel 7, is not found in what happens to be culturally trendy right now. It is found in the verdict that God will render when he comes to judge the world. Chapter 7 is a transitional chapter in Daniel. On the one hand, this chapter, written in Aramaic (as opposed to Hebrew), wraps up a section of six Aramaic chapters that have this structure known as a “chiasm”:
A. The Four Kingdoms: A Dream (Chapter 2)
B. Deliverance from the Fiery Furnace (Chapter 3)
C. Judgment on King Nebuchadnezzar: Positive Result (Chapter 4)
C. Judgment on King Belshazzar: Negative Result (Chapter 5)
B. Deliverance from the Lions’ Den (Chapter 6)
A. The Four Kingdoms: A Vision (Chapter 7)
As you can see, chapter 7 parallels chapter 2, and both chapters give us essentially the same message in different ways. But chapter 7 also begins a new section of Daniel, which would be a series of four visions given to Daniel personally, which are recorded in chapters 7-12. That makes Daniel 7 the hinge and heart of the whole book.
And as the heart of the book, this chapter brings home to us the main message of Daniel once again: Though human rebellion against God will only get worse, God is in control and will establish his kingdom in the end. As we observe the downgrade of the culture around us, keep this wonderful truth in mind, and let it spur you on to perseverance in your devotion to Christ, even if that means marginalizing yourself among the “in” group of society, losing out on career opportunities, forfeiting your livelihood, or even perhaps one day, going to jail. Note three observations from this text that give us this main idea.
First, see how this vision demonstrates
This chapter takes us back in time from chapter 6 to the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon’s rule, when Daniel received a vision of bizarre things as a message from God. As verse 2 testifies, it was a vision that begins with the great sea (the Mediterranean), stirred up by the four winds of heaven. In the Bible, the sea often represents chaos and evil. John notes in Revelation 21:1 that in the new creation, “the sea was no more,” a way of indicating that evil will have no place in the world to come. But it is from the raging, stormy sea that four creatures emerge in Daniel’s vision.
And these four creatures are pictured as beasts, which represent human rule in this age. The fact that they are beasts is significant. In the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam dominion over the beasts, but when Adam allowed a particular beast, the serpent, to take charge of a situation, God’s order in creation was overturned, and everything came undone. So these human kingdoms are pictured as beasts to show they are rebellious powers. But more than simply being beasts, they are grotesque, frightening beasts at that. Daniel didn’t see a poodle, a kitten, a hamster, and a bunny come out of the sea. He saw frightening, bizarre, composite animals that communicate the depths of human rebellion by their appearance.
According to the progressive idea, the human race is gradually getting better and better as history moves forward. But this vision clearly suggests otherwise. Notice that it is the fourth beast—the last one chronologically—that is the worst of them all! Its nature apparently defies categorization, which is why Daniel doesn’t give it a name such as “bear” or “lion,” but it is simply “the fourth beast,” and it is left to the imagination to speculate on what it looked like. Time moves on, and human rebellion against God does not gradually subside. It gets worse.
So then, who are these four beasts? The angel who interprets the dream for Daniel gives two distinct, yet related, answers. According to verse 17, “These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth.” So the beasts represent kings. But then in verse 23 he says, “As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms.” That indicates to me that the beasts not only represent individual kings, but also kingdoms. And that makes sense, because in the Bible it is clear that a king is a man who represents the whole kingdom over which he rules. This is important, as we shall see later.
Is it possible to identify these four beasts with four kings/kingdoms that appeared in history? I believe that is the best way to read this text, as we did with the four layers of the statue in chapter 2. The first beast, a lion with wings, but whose wings were clipped, and then he stood up like a man, and the mind of a man was given to him, seems to be King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonian Empire. We saw in chapter 4 the story of him losing his mind, living like an animal, but ultimately having his sanity restored as he became a worshiper of the true God. You might say he went from “beastly” behavior to “humanly” behavior, as is pictured with this winged lion. We would expect, then, the second beast to represent a kingdom that followed Nebuchadnezzar’s. The bear, then, seems to represent the Medo-Persian Empire, which conquered Babylon and succeeded it as a major world power. The bear in this vision has three ribs in its mouth, indicating that it is a conquering kingdom that devours others. But it is also a bear that is raised up one side (which may indicate that it is standing on its hind legs). That means one side of the bear is higher than the other, and this is exactly what we will see in chapter 8 where there is a vision of a ram with two horns, but one horn is raised higher than the other, showing that the Persians became dominant over the Medes in the Medo-Persian Empire. The third beast is a leopard with four wings and four heads. The kingdom that conquered and succeeded the Medo-Persian Empire was the Greek Empire under Alexander the Great. The four wings and four heads may indicate the great extent of this kingdom (with “four” pointing us to the four directions of the compass). But it is also the case that Alexander died young with no successor, and thus his empire was divided among his four generals, so the heads and wings could represent them as well. Or it’s possible they represent both realities at once. And then we come to the fourth beast, the one who receives all the focus, because it is different from all the others in its strength and ability to conquer and destroy. Historically, if we are on track with the other beasts, the fourth one would represent the Roman Empire, which succeeded the Greek Empire and became a power unlike the world had ever known before.
In this vision, the fourth beast has ten horns. Verse 24 tells us, “As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise.” We could understand this verse in different ways, but I think the best way to read it is to see it predicting a succession of human kingdoms that will follow the Roman Empire but in some sense stand in continuity with its beastly nature. And I don’t think the number 10 is to be taken literally. It seems to be symbolic, indicating that as long as history continues, the spirit of the beast remains on the earth. And it is out of this succession of human kingdoms that the little horn, which represents the culmination of all human wickedness, emerges.
This vision tells us many things about the little horn. Verse 24 tells us that he is a ruler who is different from all who precede him. Verses 8 and 20 show him defeating and uprooting three of the horns that precede him, indicating that he is a conqueror, as verse 24 also declares. I am inclined to view the number three as symbolic, the same way I would view the three ribs in the mouth of the bear. Both of these images simply indicate conquest over a number of kingdoms. Verses 8, 11, and 20 all make reference to the words of blasphemy that the little horn speaks, and then verse 25 tells us, “He shall speak words against the Most High.” The little horn defies the authority of God with his mouth. Ultimately, he puts himself in the place of God. That seems to be what the end of verse 25 is about: “and [he] shall think to change the times and the law.” What does that mean? It is illuminating to compare that to chapter 2, verse 21, where Daniel says of God: “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings.” So whereas God has true divine authority to change times and seasons, the little horn will “think to change times and the law” by assuming for himself the authority to steer the course of history according to his will. This represents total defiance of God’s authority. And finally, we note that the little horn triumphs over God’s people. Verse 21 tells us, “…this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them.” Verse 25 says, “and [he] shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times of the law; and they shall be given into his hand.” Who is this little horn who seems to represent the culmination of human rebellion against God, the climactic manifestation of evil? Paul speaks of “the man of lawlessness” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 that we should expect to be revealed before Christ comes. First John 2:18, though its point is to affirm that many antichrists have already come, seems to point us in the direction of expecting one final human figure whom we might call “the antichrist,” a man who will lead a worldwide rebellion against God and an oppression of his people. Based on the teaching of Scripture, I expect a final, individual figure whose defiance of God and power over the world will be unmatched in history.
In the 1930’s and 40’s the idea that the human race is naturally getting better through the process of evolution took hold of Germany. And as the German people, under the influence of their leaders, began to see minority groups such as Jews as inferior beings in the chain of inevitable progress, they decided that the best thing for their society would be to target these groups for extermination. So concentration camps were formed, gas chambers built, incinerators fired up, and when all was said and done, six million Jews had been murdered in what we has come to be regarded as one of the greatest crimes against humanity in history.
Don’t be naïve. The human race is not going to correct itself over time. We will never evolve into righteousness, not as a society, and not as individuals. Daniel’s vision leads us to expect the opposite: if anything, the ebb and flow of history reveals an increasing wickedness in the human heart that culminates in a world leader who will declare himself god and rally the nations of the world to bow to him. And if this is the case, does it mean God has failed as ruler of the world he made? Does the increasing demonstration of human rebellion in history demonstrate that God has lost control?
Absolutely not! That brings us to the second observation from this vision:
The book of Daniel sounds this note repeatedly, even from its opening verses. Daniel 1:1-2 reads, “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God.” Nebuchadnezzar, the pagan king of Babylon, has taken over the holy city, taken some of the people captive, and plundered the temple. But make no mistake: this is the Lord’s doing.
We see similar indications of God’s control over the beasts in Daniel’s vision. Look again at verse 2: “Daniel declared, ‘I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.” It is specifically the winds of heaven that stir up the sea from which these beasts emerge, suggesting that it is only by God’s power that they are allowed on the scene at all. If God willed, he could easily crush the beasts at any time, but instead he willingly permits them to take power and manifest their rebellion against him. Note also the use of the passive voice in verses 3-4: “And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. 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.” All of the verbs here are passive, which leads us to ask: who plucked off the lion’s wings? Who made it to stand? Who gave it the mind of a man? The passive voice suggests that God is the one doing these things, exercising his power over the lion. You see also in verse 5 that a voice issued a command to the bear: “Arise, devour much flesh.” This voice seems to represent God’s authority. And we see the passive voice again in verse 6 regarding the leopard; the end of the verse says, “dominion was given to it.” Again, who is the source of the dominion? It can only be God, who maintains control over history even while the beasts rebel against him.
God’s rule over history is also demonstrated in the way the angel interprets the triumph of the little horn in verse 25: “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 [passive voice!] for a time, times, and half a time.” That last phrase is important. If you take “a time,” then add two “times,” and then a “half a time,” you end up with three-and-a-half times. I think the significance of 3 and ½ is that it is half of seven, and since seven represents completion (the world was created in seven days, for example), we should understand 3 and ½ to be a time that is cut short by God. So when we see that the little horn will triumph over the saints for “a time, times, and half a time,” we should understand that to mean that in his temporary triumph, he will not be able to bring his plans to completion. God will cut it short, because God is in control of history.
So when we see government officials fining Christian bakers and florists for their refusal to bow to the god of this age, when we see the US Commission on Civil Rights say in an official report that the term “religious liberty” is a code word for discrimination and intolerance, when we see churches targeted for regulations by government agencies in Iowa and Massachusetts, we must not despair. We must not compromise with the world. And we must not assume that we are responsible for fixing everything. God rules over everything, even the power of his enemies to rebel against him and oppress his people. As Cornelius Van Til put it, even when we defy God, we still depend on him, like a child who climbs up in her father’s lap to slap him in the face.
But then that raises the question: if God rules over history, and history is littered with the wreckage of evil, systemic injustice, oppression, and suffering, what does that say about God? Is he evil? In light of the intensity of evil that has occurred throughout history, Charles Baudelaire once put it this way: “If there is a God, He is the devil.” So while it is absolutely true and biblical and massively important for us to affirm that God rules over history, we actually have to say more. We need biblical assurance that God will ensure the ultimate defeat of evil and the establishment of righteousness forever. We need, in other words, the assurance that God will one day come in judgment.
And that is precisely what Daniel 7 is really all about. Our third observation on this text concerns
After Daniel saw the four beasts arise out of the sea, verses 9-10 describe a court scene. He sees thrones set up on the earth, and the one called the “Ancient of Days” takes his seat. Although our youth-driven culture might use the word “ancient” as an insult and see white hair as something to mock, the text presents God in terms that emphasize his permanent, unchanging nature. He was there, reigning as true King long before the beasts ever came on the scene, and he will be there long after they are gone. His radiantly white clothing likewise communicates that his character is absolutely unstained by any of the wickedness of the beasts. His fiery throne and stream of fire that issue before him communicate the purifying wrath of God that answers human rebellion in his creation and ultimately destroys it. And he is surrounded by millions, billions of the heavenly, angelic beings, who by their presence signal to Daniel that, though he may feel like a member of a small remnant of a bygone kingdom, he actually belongs to an unseen kingdom of untold multitudes. Court is in session.
And with one act, the Ancient of Days delivers his verdict and carries out his sentence. Verse 11 reads, “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.” Verse 26 specifies further: “But the court shall sit in judgment, and his [the little horn’s] dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end.” God will come in judgment against the beast, and that includes the destruction of the little horn. His blasphemous mouth will be silenced.
And once the beast’s dominion is taken away, God establishes another kingdom. Verses 13-14 introduce a figure “like a son of man” who receives from the Ancient of Days an everlasting kingdom. What can we say about this figure? He seems to be a double combination of human and divine, as well as corporate and individual.
Note first the human/divine combination. The fact that he is “like a son of man” means he has the appearance of a human being. He is not a beastly figure, but human. When God first created the world, he created human beings in his image and appointed them rulers over his creation. Psalm 8 celebrates the “son of man,” or humanity, as God’s appointed ruler who reflects God’s glory in ruling the world. So the transfer of authority from a beast to a son of man is an indication that the order of creation has been restored. But this figure is not merely human; he comes to the Ancient of Days “on the clouds of heaven.” In Scripture, a cloud often represents the glory of God’s presence. Think of the cloud that filled the tabernacle and that went before the people of Israel by day in the desert, representing God’s presence with them. His human appearance indicates his humanity, but the clouds of heaven indicate his deity.
And then note the corporate/individual combination. Clearly this son of man represents the saints of the Most High. Right after the vision of the one like a son of man receiving the kingdom, the angel gives Daniel this interpretation in verse 18: “But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.” The same dynamic is apparent in verse 27: “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; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.” Some translations use the singular pronoun “his” and “him” in the last part of that verse. The Aramaic pronoun could be translated either way, but I think that, in its context, it makes the most sense to translate it in the plural, because I think the pronoun relates back to the word “people,” which is singular in Aramaic but plural in English. We are talking about “their” kingdom, that is, the kingdom of the saints of the Most High. Who are these people? Daniel would have understood them to be a restored Israel, or Israel on the other side of exile. The New Testament makes clear that Gentiles in Christ are fellow heirs with redeemed Israel, so that we could say that we are collectively, as Jews and Gentiles in Christ, “the saints [holy ones] of the Most High.” This is our kingdom that Daniel sees, and the son of man who receives it represents all of us. And yet, I think there is also good reason to see the son of man figure not only as representing the saints of God, but also as an individual King. Remember that we previously saw how the beasts are described both as kings in verse 17 and kingdoms in verse 23. The same dynamic seems to be the case here: the son of man is both an individual king who is coming to establish God’s righteous reign over creation, but he also represents the people who will share in that reign with him. This is one of those biblical passages where it is not possible to separate a king from his people.
When we turn to the New Testament, we see that Jesus does not hesitate to draw on this passage with reference to himself, often referring to himself as “the son of man.” And then at his trial in Mark 14:61-62, we read, “Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ And Jesus said, ‘I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’”
One day, when human rebellion has reached its culmination and God’s people find themselves under the oppressive thumb of a tyrant with unprecedented power, Jesus Christ will descend from heaven to claim all the nations of the world as his inheritance. He will deliver us from the little horn and share his throne with us. And then notice an interesting feature of the coming kingdom in verses 12, 14, and 27. Verse 12 reads (after the destruction of the fourth beast): “As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.” The beasts have no more authority, but the kingdoms they represent continue to exist. Why would that be? Verse 14 is enlightening: “And to him [the one like a son of man] was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.” The last line of verse 27 makes the same point: “and all dominions shall serve and obey them.” We have here the expectation, not only that we will reign with Christ over creation, but that we will exercise authority with him, at least for a time, over the unbelieving nations. I think this is what Paul is referring to in 1 Corinthians 6:2 when he says that the saints will judge the world. I think it is also what John’s vision in Revelation 20 refers to, where, after the destruction of the beast in Revelation 19, those who belong to Christ are raised from the dead and reign with him for a thousand years. I hold to what’s called a “premillennial” understanding, wherein Christ returns to earth and rules over a kingdom with his people for a time prior to the final judgment and the new creation. During this time, the unbelieving nations of the world are under the authority of Christ and his people. I believe this understanding fits the picture of Daniel 7, and it best fulfills the Lord’s promise to the Messiah in Psalm 110:2: “The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!” Whereas David and Solomon once ruled over enemy vassal states in the vicinity of Israel, such as the Philistines, King Jesus will have the nations as his inheritance. His rule from sea to sea will encompass every nation of the world as a vassal state. Not all of the other pastors agree with me on this point, and it is tricky to put the whole teaching of the Bible together here. So you may not read some of the details the way that I do, but I think we can agree on the overall point that Daniel 7 presents us with a vision that includes the future triumph of God’s people over the unbelieving world and the sharing of his reign.
In a recent article about how to talk to your kids about this strange 2016 presidential election, Russell Moore concludes with these words: “Your children should see that while you respect the office of President, you do not see it as ultimate. They should see that your greatest hope for one of them is not that he or she would be president of the United States. It’s that he or she would be a ruler of the universe, as a joint-heir of Christ Jesus, sharing in his inheritance, reconciled by the blood of his cross.”
Both Scripture and experience tell us that we live in a sin-darkened world where the powers of evil triumph far too often. And only Jesus can set it all right. You must believe that he will, and commit yourself to hold on to him by faith until he does. Like Daniel, you are an exile in a foreign land, and you may feel that you are part of a shrinking religious minority who can only cower before the growing power of the beast. But rest assured, his day in court is coming, on the day when the Son of Man comes with the clouds of heaven.
When confronted with the absolute claim of lordship that Jesus has made for himself, you have two choices: you either bow to him as Lord over you, or you stand in rebellion. He has not left any other option open to you. If you are not with the Son of Man, then you are with the Beast, whether you know it or not. In his patience and mercy, Jesus now offers to you the chance to stop pretending to be your own god and turn to him in faith. His open arms are extended in the hope of granting you forgiveness of your rebellion because in his life he perfectly obeyed the law of God that you have not obeyed and could not obey, in his death he took the punishment you deserved, and in his resurrection he took hold of the eternal life that he now offers you. Come to him in faith and be baptized, and become a citizen of the kingdom that will last forever.
And let all of us who are baptized believers in Jesus Christ and members in good standing with a local church that holds us accountable to our confession now share once more in communion together. Here today, gathered around this table, let us who confess Christ as Lord remember that the ride side of history cannot be determined by what is trendy today. It can only be determined from the perspective of God’s coming judgment. And so what marks us out as those who are on the right side of history is not the world’s approval. It is the water of our baptism; it is the bread that we eat; it is the cup that we drink. Amen.