"Earlier, during the first year of King Belshazzar’s reign in Babylon, Daniel had a dream and saw visions as he lay in his bed. He wrote down the dream, and this is what he saw.
2 In my vision that night, I, Daniel, saw a great storm churning the surface of a great sea, with strong winds blowing from every direction. 3 Then four huge beasts came up out of the water, each different from the others.
4 The first beast was like a lion with eagles’ wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off, and it was left standing with its two hind feet on the ground, like a human being. And it was given a human mind.
5 Then I saw a second beast, and it looked like a bear. It was rearing up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And I heard a voice saying to it, “Get up! Devour the flesh of many people!”
6 Then the third of these strange beasts appeared, and it looked like a leopard. It had four bird’s wings on its back, and it had four heads. Great authority was given to this beast.
7 Then in my vision that night, I saw a fourth beast—terrifying, dreadful, and very strong. It devoured and crushed its victims with huge iron teeth and trampled their remains beneath its feet. It was different from any of the other beasts, and it had ten horns.
8 As I was looking at the horns, suddenly another small horn appeared among them. Three of the first horns were torn out by the roots to make room for it. This little horn had eyes like human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly.
9 I watched as thrones were put in place
and the Ancient One sat down to judge.
His clothing was as white as snow,
his hair like purest wool.
He sat on a fiery throne
with wheels of blazing fire,
10 and a river of fire was pouring out,
flowing from his presence.
Millions of angels ministered to him;
many millions stood to attend him.
Then the court began its session,
and the books were opened.
11 I continued to watch because I could hear the little horn’s boastful speech. I kept watching until the fourth beast was killed and its body was destroyed by fire. 12 The other three beasts had their authority taken from them, but they were allowed to live a while longer.
13 As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.
15 I, Daniel, was troubled by all I had seen, and my visions terrified me. 16 So I approached one of those standing beside the throne and asked him what it all meant. He explained it to me like this: 17 “These four huge beasts represent four kingdoms that will arise from the earth. 18 But in the end, the holy people of the Most High will be given the kingdom, and they will rule forever and ever.”
19 Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, the one so different from the others and so terrifying. It had devoured and crushed its victims with iron teeth and bronze claws, trampling their remains beneath its feet. 20 I also asked about the ten horns on the fourth beast’s head and the little horn that came up afterward and destroyed three of the other horns. This horn had seemed greater than the others, and it had human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against God’s holy people and was defeating them, 22 until the Ancient One—the Most High—came and judged in favor of his holy people. Then the time arrived for the holy people to take over the kingdom."
I would certainly be overwhelmed if I had been in Daniel's position. Part of me though kind of still wishes I had an opportunity to see this vision for myself so that the words written here would come alive and I could see what Daniel really saw. There are just some things that words cannot describe adequate enough. The thing that really caught my attention in this passage was the explanation at the end, specifically verses 21-22. Daniel saw this beast 'defeating' God's holy people, and it was able to do so until God finally put a stop to it and made His judgement. I can't help but wonder if this 'beast', which represents a 'kingdom' is the kingdom of the 'Antichrist.' I'm not talking about Left Behind series stuff or rapture or even about a particular person. Instead rather, as John alludes to in his epistles (letters), there are many Antichrists who are alive. I think Jesus' own words serve best for us to use and figure out how to identify these people. Jesus said, "Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me." (Matthew 12.30) These 'Antichrists' are working for a kingdom that is against Christ, hence the Greek suffix that is rendered in English as 'anti-'. So today, anyone or even anything that is against Jesus, belongs to this kingdom. To echo Paul, our battle is not with flesh or blood, therefore I wouldn't be surprised and I'm leaning toward an understanding that this 'kingdom' that is opposing God's holy people, is a kingdom that isn't limited to mere national borders or human governments, but in reality extends across and incorporates many of them. Pretty crazy stuff to think about huh? Thankfully, as Daniel witnesses in his vision, God doesn't all this to go on forever. He will step in, and He will save His holy people who are a part of His Kingdom! =)
"Father thank You for not abandoning us! I pray that when things seem to point to You abandoning us, may we take those thoughts captive and turn them over to You, citing Your promises to never abandon or forsake us! We love You God! Give us strength when we are weak! It's in Jesus' name that I pray, amen!"
No comments:
Post a Comment