Okay, thank you for leading us again this morning. Good morning to everyone. I see a lot of our people have gone south. We haven't had that privilege, so we're here to worship together.

We're working together this morning through Daniel chapter 7, and last week we began our study of this great chapter considering the coming Kingdom of Jesus Christ. The Kingdom and the second coming of Christ are pervasive subjects throughout the Word of God. His second coming is mentioned 1,100 or 1,847 times in the Scriptures, 330 times in the New Testament alone, and this calculates to six prophecies about the second coming for every one prophecy about Jesus' first coming. There are two times as many prophecies about the second coming in the New Testament as there are verses about the atonement.

So the second coming of Christ and the setting up of his Kingdom is a major event of profound importance in the plan of God. It's the culmination of all that he intended in creation and the consummation of his salvation plans. God will set his King, as we were just singing, over his Kingdom on this earth, and he will rule and reign for a thousand years and establish a new heavens and a new earth where he will reign forever and ever. 

But not only does the second coming of Christ and his establishment of his Kingdom occupy a great part of God's revelation to us, establishing its great importance, but our understanding of these events and their relationship also establishes a great part of our theology and understanding of the Word of God. And this is really important for us to sort out. We've studied not too long ago the various understandings of Christ's second coming in relationship to the establishment of his Kingdom, and there are basically three views on this subject. They express themselves concerning the relationship of Christ's coming to the thousand-year Kingdom described in detail in Revelation 20, as well as in our text in Daniel 7 today, and also much of the rest of the visions in the book of Daniel.

So we use the term millennial, which comes from the Latin "mill" (one thousand) and "annus" (year), and the term means one thousand years. If you look at the back of your outline, you can see I listed these three basic views that the church holds on the relationship of Christ's second coming in the Kingdom. 

First is amillennialism, and amillennialism is a theological view that denies the existence of a literal earthly millennium, the thousand-year reign of Christ, and instead amillennialists believe that the millennium is a spiritual reality that occurs at this present time, involving Christ's reign in heaven alongside resurrected saints. This perspective asserts that there will be no future earthly reign of righteousness and peace following the second coming of Christ. So the amill view believes that there will be no future millennial reign of Christ, but it's spiritualized and occurring now as Jesus reigns from heaven with his saints.

The next view is postmillennialism, and this is a theological perspective in Christian eschatology that interprets the second coming of Christ as occurring after the period known as the millennium, which is the time of increasing Christian influence and prosperity. It posits that Christ establishes his kingdom on earth through the preaching of the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit, leading to a time of righteousness and peace before his return. Postmillennialists believe that the world will become increasingly Christianized, and this progress will culminate in a time of great prosperity, social, cultural, and political renewal before Christ's return. 

So in postmillennialism, the church is establishing slowly over time, almost imperceivably, the kingdom by taking over and Christianizing the various facets of society. A doctrine called dominionism often accompanies this view, which basically has Christians infiltrating the various parts of our society, including religion, family, education, government, media, arts, entertainment, and business. And in this system, the kingdom develops slowly over time as we Christianize the world, and then Jesus comes again. You've probably seen tentacles of that in different spheres.

The third view is premillennialism, and there are a couple variations to this view, but we're going to take this from our understanding, our perspective from the scriptures, which is premillennial dispensationalism. And this view is a theological perspective within Christianity that asserts a future literal thousand-year reign of Jesus on the earth, and this will follow his second coming. Premillennial dispensationalists believe in a pre-tribulational rapture, where believers are taken up before a tribulation time for Israel, and this is followed by Christ's return to establish his kingdom. A key distinction of this view is the separation between Israel and the church, emphasizing that God's promises to Israel remain intact. 

Now, because the second coming of Christ is such a key truth of the scriptures, and the setting up of his kingdom is a central aspect of our study in Daniel, and the promises made to Israel throughout the Old Testament and New Testament are clearly an emphasis of God, it is incumbent upon us to try to study thoroughly the word of God on this subject and fit the pieces together and seek to know what God says in his word about these things. 

We are to, as the Bereans, search the scriptures to see if what men say is true, and we are to know and believe what God says, not what men say. We are not interested in any systems of men or wisdom of men, but in what the revealed word of God teaches us about these things, and my friends, it teaches us a lot. 

So this is our endeavor in this seventh chapter of Daniel and going forward in the book. The clear message to Daniel in this vision in chapter 7 will help us a great deal in sorting out some of the more complicated visions to come in chapters 8 to 12, so it's important that we understand these things. 

This morning I want to go back to the very clear revelation of verses 13 to 14 in our text and establish those truths again in our mind. Let's begin reading at verse 7. Daniel writes, "after this I saw in the night visions and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth, as clearly points us to Rome. It was devouring, breaking in pieces, trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it. It had ten horns. The spirit or the angel tells Daniel later that the ten horns represent ten kings of this kingdom of Rome. 

I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and mouth speaking pompous or great words. I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated. His garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire. A fiery stream issued, and came forth from before him. A thousand thousands ministered to him. Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. 

This is a picture of judgment. I watched then, because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking, I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. Revelation 19 tells us that he is cast into the lake of fire. As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. 

Now verse 13, "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man," we established last time that this is Jesus, "coming with the clouds of heaven." This speaks of Jesus coming to the throne. He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples and nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed. 

I've given you five points on your outline this morning. First, the history of man's kingdoms. Second, the historical pattern of God's dealings with Israel. Third, the little horn. Fourth, the final kingdom. And fifth, the kingdom of Christ. 

Well, in this vision given to Daniel, we see as we also see in chapter 2, the history of the kingdoms of men. In these visions, it is revealed that from the time of Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar, ending with Belshazzar, that there would, after the kingdom of Babylon, come another kingdom. You remember Daniel told that to Nebuchadnezzar. Another kingdom, Medo-Persia, and then Greece. Under Alexander, the mighty crushing kingdom of Rome would be the fourth kingdom, destroying the kingdoms before each one, taking power and dominion over the earth.

Daniel speaks of this fourth beast. He said it is a dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong, huge iron teeth, devouring, breaking in pieces, trampling the residue with its feet, conquering the world. We see some clarification and more details in the interpretation of the vision of the fourth beast down in verse 19, Daniel 7 at verse 19. Daniel says, "and I wish to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron, its nails of bronze, which devoured broken pieces, trampled the residue. And the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely that horn which had eyes and a mouth, which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.

I was watching, and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came. And a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom. Thus he said, the fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it, and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings, who shall arise from this kingdom, and another shall arise after them. He shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time. 

But the court shall be ceded, and they shall take away his dominion to consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." 

So we see some interesting details about this future and final kingdom of man, the revived Roman Empire. The kingdom of Rome was still way off in the future for Daniel at this time, in the time he received this vision. He's now under Belshazzar, and Babylon is still in power. We're going to see Cyrus come soon and end that kingdom, and then Alexander, and then Rome several hundred years later. And Rome would reign in its first form for much longer than all the other kingdoms, and be especially brutal and powerful. For 1,500 years until 1453 AD, Rome still existed as a kingdom.

What we can glean from the words before us in Daniel 7 is that this kingdom is not yet finished. No other kingdom has risen to rule the world since Rome, and there has yet to be the fulfillment of ten kings and this little horn who comes to power and makes war against the saints. From these details, we see that there's a future yet for this final kingdom of man, and at the end of that kingdom, it puts us at the second coming of Christ and the establishment of the kingdom. 

Some people say that this little horn is Antiochus Epiphanes, but we didn't see at the end of Antiochus Epiphanes the kingdom come. I haven't seen the kingdom come. Have you seen Jesus reigning? No. So we're still waiting for the fulfillment of this. Antiochus may have been a type of this little horn to come, but it's going to be a much greater situation.

Turn over to Revelation 13 and verse 1 with me. Revelation 13, this is really a parallel passage to what we're seeing in Daniel 7, this is the vision given to John. He says, "...then I stood on the sand of the sea," again, the sea representing the world, the peoples, the nations, "...I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name." 

Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, notice we're going to see sort of in this final form of the final kingdom of men, we're going to see a conglomeration of all the beasts before. I saw he was like a leopard, his feet were like those of the feet of a bear, his mouth like the mouth of a lion, the dragon gave him his power, his throne and great authority, and I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded and his deadly wound was healed, and all the world marveled and followed the beast. 

So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast saying, who is like the beast, who is able to make war with him? And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for 42 months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name, his tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him whose names have not been written in the book of life, of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

So here we see very similar language to what we see in Daniel chapter 7. We have the picture of the ruler coming to power who speaks great swelling words, blasphemies against the Most High. We see the same type of timeline given to the beast or king. 42 months, Daniel says, a time and times and half a time, each of these equating to three and a half years. 

The mortal wound of verse 3 could refer to the empire, the kingdom of Rome, or to the ruler himself having fallen but then being revived. Daniel in the book of Revelation teaches clearly that there's going to be a final version of this fourth kingdom before the coming of Christ and the establishment of his kingdom. Now, no question there's a lot of mystery surrounding this subject and the events that are yet to come, but we do have many clear details that help us understand the kingdom to come and the second coming of Christ. 

We may not have every detail right in our understanding, nor can we understand completely how many of these things will come to pass. But what God says is true, and there are many clear things revealed in his word concerning this time before the second coming and what leads up to the kingdom. We understand, believe, and use these things to form our theology, our eschatology. 

So we see that there's going to be a final form, a revived Roman Empire, where ten kings will rule and one will rise, small at first, quietly, I believe rising to power through peace because of several other scriptures, political means. He will be a genius in many ways, politically, economically, and a charismatic and winsome leader who will deceive the people and gain power to rule over the whole world. 

Revelation 6 tells us that he comes with a bow but no arrows. Daniel and Revelation teach us that he comes to power within the system of ten kings but then overtakes three. Daniel 9 tells us that he establishes a covenant with Israel bringing peace in the Middle East. He will solve the problems of the world. He will be hailed as the potentate, supreme ruler of the world, perhaps even the Savior. Daniel 11 tells us that he shall rise in peace. 

But we will see, as we continue in our study of Daniel, that he will reveal himself for who he is in the abomination of desolation. He will demand to be worshipped as God, declare himself to be God. He will make war with the saints. We see in Zechariah 12 that two-thirds of the Jews will be killed in this time. We see in our text this morning as well as Revelation 13 that he will kill innumerable Gentile believers persecuting the church, seeking to wipe out the nation of Israel. And all this is leading up to the second coming and deliverance of Israel and the establishment of the kingdom on the earth. 

And this brings us to a key detail in our understanding. I really would like for you to understand this, to get a hold of this, and that's God's historical pattern of dealing with Israel. I think this answers many questions. We here at Living Hope Church believe in a premillennial dispensational understanding of the Scriptures, and we believe in a pre-tribulational rapture of the church. 

We are not beholden to a system, nor are we concerned with the historical details, the jots and tittles of that big name. The key elements for our understanding concerning a dispensational versus a covenant view of the Scriptures are two. First, a distinction between the nation of Israel and the church. And second, a future plan for national ethnic Israel in God's salvation plan. 

Now, if you believe these two things, then by our understanding you are dispensational as opposed to covenant in how you understand the whole of God's Word. Covenant theology teaches there is no distinction between the church and Israel, that the church existed in the Old Testament, that God has no future plan for the nation of Israel, but the church has fulfilled those promises through Christ. 

God has fulfilled those promises through Christ in the church. So for our purposes, this is about as far as the definition goes. Now I want to talk for a little bit about our position on the pre-tribulational rapture of the church. And the reason I'm developing all this is because it's going to be integral to our interpreting the rest of the book of Daniel. 

There's been a lot of controversy about dispensationalism and the pre-trib rapture over the years, and on social media what seems to be a concerted effort to trivialize and undermine these biblical beliefs. Also, within those who hold a premillennial view, there are those who have adopted a pre-wrath or mid-trib view of the rapture as well. 

And most of the discussions of these issues that I have been involved in revolve around the church and when and why God will take us out. Some believe that God will remove the church in order to keep us from the wrath of the Antichrist. And this has been a point of attack on our position by the pre-wrath folks because we see nowhere in the scriptures that promises us protection from the wrath of man in this world. 

So they would posit that the church will be taken out not before the time of the wrath of the Antichrist, his war with the saints, his attack on Israel, but rather just before the time of God's wrath poured out on this earth after the abomination of desolation, the opening of the seventh seal, moving us into the vial and bowl judgments. These things have come up again and again in the discussions that I have had with people coming from different perspectives. 

But I do not think any of these things are good arguments from the scriptures. The problem, as I see it, is that everyone in this discussion is focused on the church. But the real reason that I believe God will rapture the church before the seven-year tribulation on earth is not because of the church or for the church's sake, but rather it has everything to do with Israel, and particularly the pattern that God has established throughout the Old Testament in dealing with this nation, his people. 

All the details of chapter 7 in Daniel and the rest of the visions in Daniel show us that these prophecies, these details at the end times in the final kingdom of man and the coming of Christ and the establishment of Christ's kingdom all revolve around the nation of Israel. And God has clearly established a pattern in dealing with Israel through time that God calls in his word--anybody want to take a stab at it? The day of the Lord, right? 

The day of the Lord is the phrase that God uses over and over through the Old Testament. Now, we don't have time to go into a lot of the Old Testament scriptures concerning this. We have in the past, and there are messages on our website on the day of the Lord, and you can go back and listen to those. But I will give you just one example from the prophet Joel. We see in Joel a common pattern established in all the prophets.

The Lord sends his man, warns Israel of coming judgment, what he calls the day of the Lord. This is for the purpose of turning them back to the Lord in faith. So Israel's people goes astray. He sends a warning to the people of coming judgment, the day of the Lord. This is a temporal day of the Lord that's fulfilled in the time of the prophet. Warning of judgment of his people in order to turn them back in repentance, and then he brings a promise of blessing if they will turn back to him. 

But for instance, in Joel, we see at the end of the prophecy, in the end of chapter 2 and through chapter 3, also, this is common in all the prophets, a promise of a future day of the Lord, a future blessing for Israel, what the Bible calls the day of the Lord. And this refers to the final day of the Lord where God chastens his people once again, but then he fully and finally delivers them in order to establish and keep his promises made to Israel and glorify his name. 

Verse 28 of chapter 2 in Joel predicts this later time in the end times. He says, "and I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls." 

Chapter 3, verse 1, "for behold, in those days and at that time," you see he's pointing us to a future time. "When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem," he's going to gather his people back. "I will also gather all nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat." Have we seen that happen yet in history? Has God gathered all the nations and brought them to the valley of Jehoshaphat? We haven't seen that. Now either he means that or he doesn't. It either means what it says or it doesn't mean what it says, and if it doesn't mean what it says, then who decides what it means? 

He said, "I will gather all the nations and bring them to the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgment with them there." Why? "On account of my people, my heritage, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations." 

When did they scatter the church among the nations? "They have also divided up my land," he says. Verse 9, "proclaim this among the nations. Prepare for war. Wake up the mighty men. Let the men of war draw near. Let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather together all around. Cause your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. Let the nations be awakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down, for the wine press is full. The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision, for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will grow dark. The stars will diminish their brightness. The Lord also will roar from Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem. The heavens and the earth will shake, but the Lord will be a shelter for his people and the strength of the children of Israel. 

So you shall know, here's the whole point, my friends, we keep coming back to this, "so you shall know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, and no alien shall ever pass through her again. And it will come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drip with new wine, the hills shall flow with milk. You know, they drip with bombs today, not new wine, not new milk. And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water, and fountains shall flow from the house of the Lord and water the valley of the Acacias. 

Egypt shall be a desolation, Edom a desolate wilderness, because of the violence against the people of Judah, for they have shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall abide forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation, for I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed whom I had not acquitted, for the Lord dwells in Zion." This is the promise of the deliverance of Israel. 

Every prophet goes through this same pattern. A temporal day of the Lord, dealing with the people then, and the prophet in that day, warning the people, calling them back to repentance, raising up a leader, Nebuchadnezzar, right? Assyria, Egypt, Rome, raising up a leader to chasten his people, then turning them back to himself, what's he do? He delivers them, and then he punishes the ruler, the agent of his chastening. Takes away his dominion, it says in Daniel 7. 

This is the day of the Lord, which is yet to come, that we're reading about here. And the pattern is established through every prophet in the Old Testament. In every prophet we see this pattern, even from Assyria, to Egypt, to Nebuchadnezzar, to Medo-Persia, to Greece, to Rome, to the prophecies that we read about in Daniel 7, of the final kingdom of men, and the little horn who will arise. 

God raises up that kingdom of Rome, revives it for the finale, and the little horn comes to power, and this little horn makes war against Israel, chastening them, in fact, killing two-thirds of them. But then God steps in, pours out his wrath on the world system, the final kingdom of men, the little horn, casts the beast into the lake of fire. We see the second coming, and the one-third of Jews that remain, physically, national Israel, will look on the one whom they pierced when he comes in the clouds, and they will believe Jesus, and they will be saved. And then Christ judges and sets up his kingdom on earth, fulfilling the promises to Israel. 

The reason that I believe in a pre-tribulational rapture is because the whole of the scriptures demand it. God has shown us the pattern again and again. The seven-year tribulation is about Israel. That's why the church is going to be removed. It has nothing to do with whether we're persecuted by Nero or any ruler today, or the future ruler of the Antichrist. It has nothing to do with that. It has to do with the time has come for God to turn back to Israel, and thus he will remove the church. 

Go to Romans 11. Listen to what Paul says concerning this. Romans 11 at verse 11. Talking about national ethnic Israel, he says, "stumbled that they should fall. Can they not get back up? Certainly not." Look at this amazing statement. "But through their fall, Israel, Jews, their fall, in order to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles." Now we see a contrast all the way through chapter 11. They and them and you and your and us and a contrast between Israel and the church over and over and over again. 

He says, "now if their fall is riches for the world and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness? What will it be like when they come in, when they come back, when they're saved?" Verse 25, he's coming to the summation of this. He says, "I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written, the deliverer will come out of Zion, he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. Why? For this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins." 

Concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. The reason I believe in a pre-tribulational rapture has nothing to do with the church or her experiencing any wrath or any of that. I believe Paul tells us these things are a benefit to us and Thessalonians, and I'm thankful for those truths, I don't want to be here for that, but these are not the reasons that we will be raptured before the tribulation time. 

The reason that the church is taken out is because the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and God is turning back to Israel, the tribulation time is about Israel. God is going to turn back to Israel in the final day of the Lord, to chasten them by the ruler he raises up, the little horn of Daniel 7, and then he will punish the Antichrist in the world system, pouring out his wrath on the kingdom of men, culminating in the second coming of Christ, the salvation of Israel, and the establishment of the kingdom on earth. And this will glorify Jesus, this will glorify God's name, they will know that he is the Lord. 

This is the God who keeps his covenants, who keeps his promises, and all the nations will know that he is the Lord, he will have his will be done on earth, and his creative intent will be established in the last Adam sitting on David's throne. Romans 11:28 again says, "Concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers." Who is they here? Who is your? If the church is Israel and all Israel is saved at the second coming, then why the continued contrast in Paul's words between the church and Israel? 

"Concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers." What do you mean election? What do you mean the sake of the fathers? The next verse tells us, "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." God will keep his covenant, his unconditional promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to Israel, and he will do it according to the Old Testament pattern he has established through all time that he calls the day of the Lord. 

So we see in Daniel, and in too many supporting scriptures to mention here this morning, the history of man's kingdoms. Future to Daniel, but mostly history to us. The historical pattern of God's dealings with Israel, the little horn, the final kingdom of Rome revived, and finally we see the kingdom of Christ. There are many details that we do our best to fit together to understand, but we hold loosely to some of these things. 

But we do have some very clear revelation about the kingdom and its relation to the second coming of Christ and what that kingdom will be like. Look at verse 14 again in Daniel 7. Sometimes we can rule out what's not right, right? We might not know what's right, but we can rule out what is not right. 

"Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all nations and languages and peoples should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed." Now we see again, I think I put this on the back of your outline again, but this is an earthly kingdom. Daniel 2 says it will fill the whole earth. 

Some men spiritualize these things to fit their system, but God has not given me that luxury. I want to know what God says. I want to understand his word as he says it, and he says this kingdom, a rock cut out without hands, is going to come out of heaven, destroy the kingdoms of men, blow away the residue, and his kingdom will fill the whole earth. All the other kingdoms were earthly kingdoms. All the other kingdoms were destroyed in succession as the new kingdoms took over. 

This is the same thing we see. It's an earthly kingdom. Jesus is given dominion and honor or glory. I don't know about you if you've been around lost people much lately, but one thing Jesus does not have is honor. Jesus does not have honor, he does not have glory, and he does not have dominion over this world today, because Satan is the ruler of this age under God's will. 

All nations and people and languages serve him, like the new Ayatollah in Iran worshiping Jesus. I don't see that today. All nations and people and languages serve him in this kingdom. The kingdom follows the kingdoms of men. Again, we just saw that in Daniel 2. It doesn't arise during the kingdoms of men, it doesn't exist in some spiritual state while the kingdoms of men are still going on. The whole point here is it wipes out the kingdoms of men and establishes a righteous kingdom on the earth where Jesus reigns physically. 

It's millennial in its first phase, but it's eternal. Jesus will never give up his rule on into the new heavens and the earth. Jesus will rule in justice and absolute authority, Isaiah 9:6. "Unto us a son is given, a child is born." What's it say next? "The government shall be upon his shoulders." He will rule with a rod of iron. Is the government upon Jesus' shoulders today? Is Paul a white Jesus representative, a spiritual advisor to our president? 

There's varying degrees of wickedness in the world and governments, but I'm pretty sure Jesus isn't ruling. The government is not upon his shoulders. These are details that guide us to our understanding of the things yet to come. In regard to post-millennialism, the idea that we are gradually taking over the earth and all its realms within the kingdoms of men, during the kingdoms of men, and we will see the kingdom sort of slowly and perceptibly come. How does this check out with what we learned in Daniel 7? 

It certainly appears in our text and in the book of the Revelation that establishment of this kingdom of Christ will come in cataclysm. What do we call it? Apocalypse, right? And so much of the New Testament promises health, wealth, and prosperity, right? No, suffering, persecution, the world is getting worse and worse, not better and better, not more Christian. 

Also, this kingdom of Christ follows the kingdoms of men again, according to Daniel 2 and 7, as well as Revelation 20. Post-millennialism does not seem to stand, as I read the scriptures. What about amillennialism? This view sees no kingdom at all on the earth, no thousand years. Rather, it spiritualizes the thousand years. 

And the text that we have been considering this morning, it makes that thousand years, or it makes that kingdom a spiritual kingdom, not a physical kingdom. It teaches that the kingdom began spiritually, not physically, when Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, and he reigns from heaven with his saints. But Daniel says that the kingdom that is to come follows the kingdoms of men, wipes them out, and establishes an eternal kingdom that fills the whole earth.

The kingdom is given to the saints, and we shall reign with him for a thousand years. And Jesus has given full dominion and is honored on the earth among all nations, peoples, and languages. He shall rule with a rod of iron and perfect justice, and the government shall be upon his shoulders. Nebuchadnezzar was given dominion and honor on the earth. Cyrus was given dominion and honor on the earth. Alexander was given dominion and honor over the earth, as were the Caesars of Rome.

When the Son of Man approaches the Ancient of Days and is given dominion, it is not dominion over heaven. When did Jesus lose dominion over heaven? He does not rule in heaven with his saints in this kingdom, but this kingdom fills the whole earth and all peoples and nations honor him. Revelation 5 is the exact same scene where Jesus takes the will and testament, the title deed to the earth, and begins in the apocalypse to take back his rightful rule and reign over all creations. 

My friends, the only view that I find tenable from the Scriptures is a premillennial view. Jesus will come the second time and judge the nations of men and the Antichrist, his agent of chastening during the tribulation time for Israel, the little horn. And God will establish his kingdom on the earth and have his man, the second Adam, sitting on David's throne in perfect theocracy, establishing his will on earth fully and finally for the first time. 

This is what we learned from Daniel 7. And God will continue to enforce these things in greater detail in the next five chapters with all of these prophetic visions given to Daniel, to Israel. They were given to Israel so that Israel might know. They're in captivity in Babylon. They've been in captivity for almost 70 years. Nebuchadnezzar is gone. We got these crooked, worthless kings like Belshazzar. 

The people are discouraged. God gives this vision to Daniel, to his people Israel in captivity. Why? That they might know that they might have hope that one day God will make things right on this earth and bring the kingdom, fulfilling his promises to his people, keeping his word. This prophecy is not about the church. How would that be an encouragement to the nation of Israel in captivity in Babylon? God will keep his word. You can trust him to do what he says, and that includes the promise of the gospel in Jesus Christ to you and to me. 

Let's close in prayer. Father, we thank you that you keep teaching us, that you give us your word. Help us just to go to your word, to study your word, to look to you for wisdom and understanding, to have our desire to be to know what is true. The doctrine is from you. We have a promise in John 7 that if that is our desire, you will show us what is right, what is true, what is from you. 

And help us to believe what you say, to interpret it naturally, not to spiritualize it away because we've been taught a system. Help us to reject systems of men and to form our understanding from your word. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.