Watching Patiently

Daniel 7:9-18

I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

The thrones were only cast down when the Ancient of Days took his seat. The subject is not the little horn nor yet the prior ones but rather upon the ancient of Days. He is the Ancient of Days and yet the future. You will look back and see him in all the days. You will look forward and see only him. The thrones were set in place. Man devises but God has the final word. He was the one who set them there. That is by whose authority he takes his seat. People get hung on his appearance and conclude from this verse that Jesus was a black man. I am here to tell you that your race does not matter to God. Your politics do not matter. He will rule you whether you like it or not, whether he has your consent or not. And at the end he will judge you. Make sure you are on the right side of that court and that audience when it comes. I would rather be a minister in his presence than be one of those assembled before him. But it is not just his looks that has everyone's ears on end. His throne was flaming with fire. The first judgement was by flood. The second is fire. He has been judging. He has been working until now. The river of fire flowed from the throne. Everywhere I look there is fire in, on, and around the throne of God.

One day, the bodies of the beast and the false prophet will be fed into the lake of fire in Revelation 19:20. The fourth man like the Son of God was also in the fiery furnace with the Hebrew children until they made it thru to the other side. In this case, these people have made their way through the fiery tribulation and now stand in the Father's house. Who should greet them but God himself. The judgment is set, and the books opened because of his holiness. Our God is a consuming fire as told in Hebrews 12:29. Therefore, his holiness demands it; his justice will prevail. This fire is for the purpose of judging the world. One day, when every person, everything, and every situation has been accounted for God will be seen in a new light. We will see him in other areas such as creator, ruler, and conqueror. There will be more than just the final judgment, Heaven, and Hell awaiting. God is the God who remembers. It is judgement day because he has remembered his people. All nations, languages, and people stand before him there. If you are not serving him, then you are standing before him. All these things we care about do not matter in his presence. God is not like us. He speaks every person's language, and they all understand him. He looks like every person because he is all things to all men. The only thing he is not is sinful. He knows everyone's situation already. Are they not written in his books so there is no explaining to do. No one will say to him what are you doing; Romans 3:19 says every mouth will be stopped for the glory of God the Father.

I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

It began in the house of God. It ends in the house of God. Watching may be the only response if you cannot worship. It is God's court; he is in session now. See something with me here. The little horn continued to speak even after Jesus had taken his seat. Daniel is watching because the final beast's voice holds him captive. He is probably feeling more than a little disturbed watching the season change. The eternal throne came with that terrifying beast still around. Daniel was so terrified he watched until they slew it, destroyed its' body, and gave it to "the burning flame." This burning flame is one of remembrance and of judgment. Sometimes you can be sad for those that have been lost who cannot be with us today. But without them as Hebrews 11:40 states, we would not be there either. Such is the case here. The rest of these rulers were allowed to live for a season and a time. We do not know the length of such. These could have been prolonged for a future purpose of God's. All the same, God's ministers do as it pleases him for his honor and his glory. No one here can contest these rulings. Daniel said their dominion was taken away; we soon will see where that has gotten. Unlike some of us, God loses nothing, and he forgets about nothing. Some of us might have lost our minds and forgotten about him at times, but God has not.

I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.

Daniel is such a wise man to be having so many visions and to know how they all relate together while he is asleep. Not only that but he sees someone he does not want to positively identify. He will only say it looks like the Son of Man. This man came with the clouds of Heaven. Heaven follows and accompanies him. Then every eye will see him as he is in Revelation 1:7. Not only that but Hebrews 12:1 describes great clouds of witnesses watching us run the race of faith set before us. Is it too far to imagine they will also come with him before the Ancient of Days takes his place. Notice in another place, the Son of Man is led before the Lord. As I have said before this is for his protection and to let the people know there is nothing to fear any longer. I do not need to labor this point. Daniel is very grieved to see all this happen. I do not know why anyone should be sorry that Jesus is receiving what is rightfully his: dominion, honor, glory, power, position, and his everlasting kingdom. "All people, nations, and languages" serve him because of who he is and what he has done. How can you not serve God for his right alone demands it. Daniel feels grieved and troubled for no reason. This is the Lord's body and his house. Will he not do with these as it pleases him. So, what does Daniel do to respond to all this but to check out his own bodily integrity. I can see him now checking himself to make sure he is still intact. He wakes from sleep and makes sure his spirit is in the center of his body which feels grief; then his mind is still intact and, in his head, where it is supposed to be.

I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.

Is it not funny, how God has a man standing beside him when Daniel woke up that knows what he dreamed, what it means, and provides the right interpretations. This man that speaks knows about the things of God. Daniel, the interpreter of other people's dreams, must ask someone else what this thing means. Do not get it twisted nor hung up on yourself. Daniel at the end of it turned pale because he was deeply troubled by his thoughts; I would too if I understood what God meant to do for his glory and the church's benefit. Not only that, but this stranger did not seem very strange to Daniel. He seems to have all the facts. He knows exactly what the dream means and what bothers Daniel concerning it without much having been said. God knows all things so there is nothing that can be hid from him as in Hebrews 4:13. There is a difference to be seen between telling someone the truth of these events and making them know it. For instance, I had a dream last night in which I was buried alive trying to fend off rats until the morning came. That is after the discussion we had in the prior passage about King Nebuchadnezzar. The latter would have been telling you, the reader, the truth of the matter. Making someone know the truth of something is an entirely different matter altogether much like the dream I had. You had to have been there to understand. Some of you have gone through things that only someone else there with you would know. Some of you find you cannot talk to people about what has happened to you. Some of you feel like no one understands when you do share your trouble with them.

I am here to tell you that God understands. He is there with you like this man was with Daniel in his dream. He is there like the fourth man in the fiery furnace. He is there like Daniel's missing friend that had been since the beginning. God knows and he understands so well what you are going through for he has been there with you too. This is why Romans 8:26 says the Spirit makes intercession for us with groaning too deep for words. Because God understands the mind of the Spirit, he searches all things. This is how our great High Priest is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, our griefs, and our sorrows. Whatever we go through he knows already as Hebrews 4:15 asserts. You might not know how you made it through, but you know that he did. One day when you are, as Psalm 23 says, on the other side sitting down in green pastures beside the Father's house, he will give you a crazy praise. There will be a testimony like no other. This is how Daniel can look back to where God brought him from. He can look to what he had been through. Then he tells everybody what God said and how he brought him through. In this moment, he knows it will be alright now. He did not understand this before. But God is doing something. How many of you know that while you are going through, God has got his hand on you. These four beasts and four kings arose "out of the earth." God formed man from the dust of the ground in Genesis 2:7; we see these kings here arising as those created out of the ground.

But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

Ah yes, you might be saying, 'how very warlike.' It is not at all. Adam in Genesis 2:15 was given dominion over the earth. Therefore, the saints will take the kingdom and possess it because it has been given to them. This nation of kings and priests unto himself in Revelation 1:6 tells how he will do this thing. It is his everlasting kingdom; therefore, he will allow the saints to take dominion and authority. They will reign with their God on this earth forever and ever. There is kingdom work going on here. Just as white garments were given them in Revelation 19:14 which are the righteousness of Christ, so the armies of Heaven follow him out to battle. This is how this kingdom is taken. It was his all along. He is just doing his work. He is rewarding those who have suffered and endured the most as those exalted and highly favored. Right now, Hebrews 6:12 says there are spiritual principalities and powers of dark forces of evil in the way. God is going to have to clear up these things before the saints can take the kingdom. This is done lest they be corrupted or suffer hurt also. God is shifting some things for our good and his glory. Then, as in Psalm 23:6, we will "dwell in the house of the Lord forever."