Sunday, December 12, 2021 AM

Hi. Good morning, everyone.

Well, we're really weighted to this side this morning. It's good to have you all here this morning to worship together with us.

It's good to be in the Christmas season where we can worship together and worship and remember the birth of Jesus Christ.

Before we get started this morning, we've got a few announcements to go through. Come back for evening worship tonight at 530.

In addition, there will be choir rehearsal for those who are in the choir in here tonight at that time.

And then looking ahead to Wednesday, it says in your bulletin, the meal is going to be a little bit earlier this

Wednesday, and that's going to allow the kids that are participating in the Christmas program, kids that are in tag, to be able to get in here along with all the volunteers that are needed to pull that off with plenty of time for dress rehearsal and getting mic'd up and all of those things.

So be sure on Wednesday, if you're coming for the meal that you are here no later than 530 and we'll get started then.

And then after that, at 630, there'll be normal prayer time for the adults in the fellowship hall.

Just a special invitation since I just mentioned it. Next Sunday night is the Christmas program and the carols and candlelight is part of that.

But there's been a lot of work put into this this year, all from the kids to the volunteers, to the sound and lighting and all of that.

So if you can attend, we would love to have you here with us to be able to worship with us that night.

December 22nd and 29th, we will not be having evening services on those evenings.

And then Sunday, December 26, we'll be having communion service together in the morning that morning.

This week's fighter verse comes from Psalm chapter 23, verses one and two.

The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters. Time is running out, or at least for the first few episodes for the podcast.

If you have any Q and A's that you want to submit to Michael or the guys who are helping to put that podcast together, please submit those on the website.

The address is there in your bulletin where you can do that. All right.

One last thing. There are plenty of Christmas cards back in the mailbox at the back. So after service, please take some time, go through those.

And if you have any that you need to share with anyone, go ahead and put those in there as well. Or you guys can just meet at the mailbox and exchange in person.

All right. Well, we are going to have a time of prayer before we begin worship.

Once we're done with that, Randy will come up and open us in prayer. Father, we just want to thank you again for the opportunity to come this morning and worship and freedom.

Father, I pray that you just prepare our hearts to hear from you today. We just thank you for this time of the year that we can just reflect how

Christ came, how he loved us so much that he came to be our savior. I pray that we would be faithful to tell others of our hope in Christ.

I pray that you would bless our time this morning as we sing praises to you and our worship.

I pray for Michael that you give him freedom to share what you put on his heart. I pray that throughout the week,

Father, that we would be ever mindful of who we are in Christ. I pray that we will be faithful witnesses just to point others towards the hope that we have in Christ.

Thank you for this body of believers. And I pray that you'd encourage us as we meet together in Jesus name.

Would you stand with me for our call to worship? Our passage this morning is found in Psalms chapter 72.

We'll continue in verse 15 to 17. Read with me together. Long may he live.

May gold of Sheba be given to him. May prayer be made for him continually and blessings invoked for him all the day.

May there be abundance of grain in the land. On the tops of the mountains may it wave.

May its fruit be like Lebanon and may people blossom in cities like the grass of the field.

May his name endure forever. His fame continue as long as the sun.

May people be blessed in him. All nations call him blessed.

And we're going to sing in our Psalms for worship hymnal. The blue one is page 72C.

And we'll be singing verses 9, 10, 11, and 12. And it's good to have a choir again.

Then we'll have two more songs in our normal blue hymnals.

Page 144, How Great Our Joy. And then also page 133,

Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Let us turn our attention to Isaiah chapter 10.

I'll be reading from verse 1 through 19. Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, who write misfortune, which they have prescribed to rob the needy of justice and to take what is right from the poor of my people.

That widows may be their prey, that they may rob the fatherless.

What will you do in the day of punishment and in the desolation which will come from afar?

To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your glory?

Without me, they shall bow down among the prisoners and they shall fall among the slain.

For all this, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger and the staff in whose hand is my indignation.

I will send him against an ungodly nation and against the people of my wrath.

I will give him charge to seize the spoil, to take the prey, to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

Yet he does not mean so, nor does his heart think so, but it is in his heart to destroy and to cut off not a few nations.

For he says, are not my princes altogether kings? Is not Kalno like Carchemish?

Is not Hamak like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria, as I have done to Samaria and her idols, shall

I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols? Therefore it shall come to pass when the

Lord has performed all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem that he will say, I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the glory of his looks.

For he says, by the strength of my hand, I have done it and by my wisdom, for I am prudent.

Also, I have removed the boundaries of the people and have robbed their treasuries. So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.

My hand has found like a nest the riches of the people. And as one gathers eggs that are left,

I have gathered all the earth. And there was no one who moved his wing nor opened his mouth with even a peep.

Shall the axe boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it?

As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up, or as if a staff could lift up as if it were not wood.

Therefore, the Lord, the Lord of hosts will send leanness among his fat ones.

And under his glory, he will kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. So the light of Israel will be for a fire and his holy one for a flame.

It will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in one day.

And it will consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, both soul and body.

And they will be as when a sick man wastes away. Then the rest of the trees of his forest will be so few in number that a child may write them.

Let us pray. Thank you, Lord God, for your word. Truly, it is a fearful thing to fall into your hands of judgment, but of mercy at Lord.

The chastisement of our peace was upon him. And the ark of God saves not just eight, but saves us a multitude.

Truly, you are our fortress, which we run into. May we not forget to establish justice, to do righteousness, to remember the widows and orphans that we wouldn't have not just word, but deed also guided by your spirit until the day of your coming.

Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen. You may be seated.

Our next song is written by our own pastor, Brother Michael. It's going to be carols for a king.

So we'll sing all four verses. Praise to God who reigns on high.

Praise peace to men on earth.

Release us now into your peace according to your word.

Light up the world of faith in grace and makes our hope assured.

Light up the world of faith in grace. Our next song, which is

Jesus, joy of the highest heaven. Number 47,

Silent Night, Holy Night. Jesus, joy of the highest heaven.

Born as a little baby under a wondrous star.

Like us, crying, he takes his first breath, held by his mother helpless, close to his heart.

Jesus, laid in a lowly manger, facing a world of dangers, come to turn me, a stranger, into a child of God.

Jesus, king of the highest heaven, learning to take his first steps, that he might bring us life.

Like us, knowing our smiles and sorrows, he showed the way to follow a way that is true and right.

Jesus, take away every darkness, steady my simple footsteps, that I might in your goodness live as a child of God.

Sing verses 1 and 3 in Silent Night. Silent night, all is calm.

Silent night, all is bright.

Round yon virgin, mother and child.

Jesus, Jesus, Lord. Let's go to the

Lord together in prayer. Father, I want to thank you for this day and the joy it has already been in hearing your word read and singing together with my brothers and sisters in Christ, rejoicing in the truth of the incarnation, the blessing of Jesus of Nazareth, the fulfillment of the promise of Emmanuel.

Lord, what hope we have in this world today is entirely hanging upon one man, the man

Christ Jesus. Everything is about him and depends upon him.

And here we are rejoicing in this season again of your gift to us, that you loved us in this way, that you gave us your only begotten son.

We ask today that you would grace us with your Holy Spirit, that we would believe your truth, believe your word, and make right application of it to our lives, that we would follow the

Lamb wherever he goes, and that we would sing the song of the redeemed both today and tomorrow and in all the days to come.

I pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ today in Kentucky and other places where, Lord, the storms have come through and you know their needs.

You are a good heavenly Father, and we ask that you would provide. I pray that you would supply every need for your people in Christ, homes and food, clothing, any form of shelter that they need.

And, Lord, I pray that the light of Jesus Christ would shine brightly in compassion and mercy in this time.

Lord, I pray that you would, as you always do, that you would bring great good out of the trouble.

And, Lord, now I ask that you would help us as we read your word, as we submit ourselves to the authority of Jesus Christ here on display in Daniel chapter 7.

Help us to be conformed to the image, to your image, which is in your

Son, Jesus Christ. We pray these things in his name. Amen. I invite you to open your

Bibles to Daniel chapter 7. Daniel chapter 7, we'll be reading from verse 13 to the end of the chapter in a moment.

So Daniel chapter 7, and thinking about who

Daniel is. Who is Daniel but a grain of sand on a seashore, looking out at monsters cresting and crashing in the violent winds of world history.

And yet, as one of the innumerable descendants of Abraham, his faith in God led him to ask informed questions and be anchored in certain answers.

And here we join Daniel, as fellow heirs by faith, we confess the fragility of beasts and the solid glories of Jesus Christ revealed here.

So if you stand with me, I'm going to begin reading in verse 13 of Daniel 7. This is the word of our

Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, by his Holy Spirit, in the words of Daniel the prophet.

I was watching in the night visions and behold one like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven.

He came to the ancient of days and they brought him near before him. Then to him was given dominion and a glory and a kingdom that all people's 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, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body and the visions of my head troubled me.

I came near to one of those who stood by and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things.

Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most high shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.

Then I wish to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with his teeth of iron and his nails of bronze, which devoured broken pieces and trampled the residue with its feet, and the ten horns which 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 rise 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 seated, 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. This is the end of the account.

As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. You may be seated. The joy of Christmas is broader than the birth of Jesus Christ.

It's broader because it's about the entire mystery of the incarnation.

That God the Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us, Emmanuel, that is a mystery worth celebrating once a year for several weeks, but that this same

Jesus, who is the Christ, the Son of the living God, that he was born as our advocate, our mediator, our propitiation, our savior, our king, that is worth celebrating every day.

And here in Daniel 7, we behold Christ as the Son of Man.

This is royal title. He's called the Son of Man, and he is ascended in the flesh as the captain of our salvation.

As the firstborn from the dead, he reigns as the firstborn of all creation. He has the top spot.

This is important for us to know, especially in the context of a vision from Daniel who sees beasts rising and falling and scary things happening.

The Bible tells us that fear is inevitable.

Fear is unavoidable. Fear is always operating in our lives.

We either fear God or we fear something else. That's how it is.

We either fear God or we fear something else, such as death or man.

The fear of man and the fear of death are encapsulated by the beast imagery here in Daniel 7.

Think about it. A beast is a kingdom of men.

It is represented by a king who is a man. And these beasts have terrible strength.

And obviously, these beasts use their strength to steal and kill and destroy. And so beasts seek to enslave with the fear of death and ensnare with the fear of man.

This is the way of beasts. The way of beasts in the days of Daniel, in the days of Christ, in our day, that's just the way the beasts roll.

Beasts maintain control as long as people fear death and they fear man.

And beasts will get bigger and larger and consume more and more as long as the people are ensnared and enslaved by the fear of death and the fear of man.

It's important to recognize this because whatever we fear, we worship. Whatever we fear, we worship.

Whatever we fear anchors our hearts, captivates our thoughts, and informs our values.

So when we read Daniel 7, Daniel 7 is not written so that we obsess about the beasts.

Oh, how scary they are. Oh, that horn won't keep his mouth shut.

Oh, that's horrifying imagery. Daniel 7 is not written so that we obsess about the beasts.

Time and again, the flow of the story here in Daniel 7 is that of heaven saying to Daniel, yeah, yeah, but look at Christ.

Yeah, yeah, but look at the throne of God. Yes, that's so. But the saints win in the end, Daniel. That's the point of the chapter, not to obsess about the beasts, but to rejoice in the king.

Why fear fragile beasts? There is only one unstoppable king.

And here in verses 15 through 18, we're talking about the comfort of Christians as we consider the session of the king of kings, that Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Our courage now and our hope for everything to come depends entirely upon the glory and the strength of Christ's throne.

I want us to see here how the comfort of the saints is offered to Daniel, how this works, how we get anxious, how we get concerned, and then what we're supposed to do next.

So let's watch what happens. First of all, information comes to Daniel in verse 15. I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit, within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.

They would trouble us too. Daniel is thoroughly affected by these visions.

He's like Peter, and the crashing waves are affecting him, and he's overwhelmed by the sights and the sounds of these four beasts, these waves upon the great sea being stirred up by the four winds of heaven.

He's especially concerned about the fourth beast, which seems somehow different than the other three, and that horn that's saying such awful things.

But isn't it remarkable that what we read as history, prophetic history,

Daniel saw as mystery? What seems maybe dry and boring to us, you know, the succession of Babylon, then

Medo -Persia, then Greece, and then Rome, it was all very overwhelming to Daniel. It was very overwhelming to Daniel, and here's why.

The questions and the burdens about the future can be exponentially more weighty than our reflections on the past.

The fears of what might happen tomorrow, what might happen this next month and this next year, the panic about the way the world is going,

Now, that seems to consume, seems to grab hold of our attention in a way that reading about history already happening, or has already happened, that doesn't seem to grab us as much as the concern and prognostication about what is yet to come.

Now, we live in the information age. A torrent of information pours into our lives every day.

I mean, we're not receiving visions from heaven or anything, but we have so much information coming into our lives every day, and we need to know what to do with it as the saints of God.

Access to information, consumption of information, retention of information is assumed by many to be virtuous in and of itself.

You know, to live a right kind of life, you need to gain as much information as you possibly can and hold on to it, and information in and of itself is virtuous.

You need more and more and more information. And there's another class of people who consider the restriction of information and the elimination of information, that is the right which belongs to the truly virtuous.

But either way, either way, there's no comfort for the Christian in either approach.

We are not given visions from heaven like Daniel received, but in a lesser way, we too are grieved, are we not?

We are often troubled by all the information coming into our heads and hearts.

Isn't it true that we too have anxiety about what is to come? What is the fate of next week and next month and next year and next decade?

And what about my children and what about my grandchildren? What kind of a world are they coming into? Right? And so in like manner, we are sometimes grieved in our spirits, within our bodies, and all that information is troubling our heads.

Notice what Daniel does, verses 16 and 17. I came near to one of those who stood by and asked him the truth of all this.

Remember that Daniel is having a vision and he's in the throne room of God, the court of God, which there are myriads upon myriads and myriads of angelic heavenly hosts serving

God. They've all been seated in the courtroom and Daniel has had all this vision.

And so he goes near to one of those who stood by there in the throne room of heaven and asked him the truth of all this.

So he told me, okay, well, here's heaven's perspective on it. This is what it all means.

And made known to me the interpretation of these things. He says, those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth.

Now, this is no great surprise after reading Daniel chapter two and Nebuchadnezzar having a dream in which he sees a four part statue.

And the heaven's interpretation of the statue is, well, these are four kingdoms.

And one passes over the other. And by the way, Nebuchadnezzar, the golden head, the start of these four kingdoms, well, that's you.

The golden head, that's Babylon. And then there's going to be three kingdoms after you. And then the rock, the stone, not cut by human hands, comes flying down into the legs and feet of the fourth kingdom.

And then this turns into a mountain which fills the whole earth. And we read later on throughout the

Bible that this is a prophecy of the arrival of Christ. And then we also see here four kingdoms.

One right after the other. One beast after another. And during the time of the fourth beast,

Messiah arrives. So no wonder Simeon, right, in the gospel of Luke, Simeon, an old man serving in the temple, he's like,

I know which kingdom we're in. We're in number four. I know Messiah is coming. And he's praying,

Lord, don't let me die without seeing your Messiah. And his hope is primed.

And he's ready to see Jesus. Well, he didn't know his name was Jesus, but he knew his name was Messiah. He wanted to see the Christ. And he did.

And he was able to see his Lord and Savior. So we have these four kings or kingdoms.

The king, of course, stands for the whole kingdom. So these four kings, these four kingdoms, they arise out of the earth, the text says.

The interpretation of heaven is that they arise out of the earth. Hang on a second. Earlier in the vision, we saw them come out of the sea.

They came out of the great sea. I'm confused. Well, the reason why they come out of the sea, we talked about, is that they come from the nations, which is an image in the

Old Testament of the nations is the sea. We looked at that. And these empires pertain to the great sea.

And they arise out of a storm whipped up by the four winds of heaven. God is the one sovereignly overseeing the rise and fall of all these nations.

But they also arise out of the earth because they are not sourced from heaven.

These are kingdoms of men, not the kingdom of heaven. These are kingdoms of men, not the kingdom of God. There's only one stone uncut by human hands, which undoes the four -metal man -graven image.

That's Christ. And since these beasts arise from the earth, that means what?

They're not to be feared. They're not to be worshipped. Any more than any kind of stone drawn up from the earth is fashioned into something to bow down before.

Or a tree growing up from the earth is cut down and fashioned into something to be worshipped.

No, these kingdoms are from the earth. So, don't fear them. Don't worship them.

They don't deserve your devotion. These four, one after another, we see in chapter 2, we see in chapter 7.

And in both places, we get heaven's interpretation of what this is. Now, that's key for us.

Whether we're pondering the prophetic visions of Scripture, or we're listening to the latest breaking news from some hairdo about our unprecedented times, we need heaven's interpretation of that information.

It has been proven that we as believers can endlessly speculate about beasts and their projected habits.

And we can endlessly wring our hands anxiously about what the news will say tomorrow.

But how does God see things according to his word? What label would

God put on that story you just read or just heard? How would

God characterize that hot topic, that controversial issue? In what way does this situation make

God laugh? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.

The fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord simply is this. We think of him first, and we think of him most.

And that is the beginning of wisdom. And that is the beginning of understanding. Notice also how we are described.

The identity here in verse 18. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom.

We have these beastly dominions doing things in a beastly way, but it's contrasted to the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven.

So we have these four beasts. So what? The holy ones, the saints, who are possessed by the

Most High. They are owned by the Most High. They are a holy people of God's own possession, and they shall, despite the beasts, receive the kingdom.

Based on what? Will we overpower the beasts? Will we outsmart them?

No. The saints of the Most High receive the kingdom precisely because they belong to the

Most High. And nobody can stay his hand and say to him, what are you doing?

We are given the kingdom because of the merits and the glories of the Son of Man, who is ascended to the right hand of God.

Because we are identified, not who we are, but whose we are. We are identified and consecrated and made holy by the name of God.

That's why we receive the kingdom. That is comfort for the saints, and that is heavenly perspective. And we are to remember our inheritance in Christ.

The saints of the kingdom, the saints of the Most High, shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.

Just in case you missed the first two. Forever and ever and ever.

Heaven's interpretation of what goes on is far different than the way that the beasts would characterize things.

Remember how many times does the pagan king require his adorers to say,

O king, live forever, but he never does. He always dies. And often his empire crumbles and fades away.

So whereas these four beasts of the earth, both in chapter 2 of Daniel and chapter 7 of Daniel, same group, each one of them has their dominion taken away, we read,

In contrast, the kingdom of heaven is given as a gift and possessed by the saints forever, even forever and ever.

You may ask, well, how do you receive the kingdom? Well, what did our Lord say?

Luke 12, verse 29 through 32. And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.

Kind of sounds like Daniel. Daniel 7 has an anxious mind, right? How is this all going to work out?

For all these things the nations of the world seek after. And your father knows that you need these things.

Listen, verse 31. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

Do not fear, little flock. Do not fear. Do you believe your

Lord and Savior Jesus? Do not fear, little flock. Here's his promise. It is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Oh, well, in that case, trusting the

Lord every day for the daily needs that we have, and trusting that God is seeking the kingdom of God.

Oh, he's not making it hard on you. He's delighting to give you the kingdom.

We are entirely dependent on the grace of God, the favor of God. Jesus said to the most religious credentialed man of his day,

Nicodemus, unless you're born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. Are you born again?

Welcome to the kingdom. Nicodemus was credentialed beyond belief.

The teacher of Israel, incredibly religious. If anybody should have been in a spiritual kingdom, a religious kingdom, or the kingdom of God, it should have been him.

He hadn't even seen it. He wasn't even near it.

You have to be born again. Luke 17, 20 -21.

Now, when Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God does not come with observation, nor will they say,

See here or see there. Right there at that boundary, right past that little physical gate right there.

Get through those two guards and that gate, and then you're in. No, he says,

The kingdom of God does not come with observation, nor will they say, See here or see there. For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.

Nicodemus thought he had been born into the kingdom, and Jesus said, No, the kingdom has to be born in you.

It's within you. There has to be a change. The New Covenant says that the law of God would be written upon the hearts of his people, that the rule and the reign of God himself would be put upon living hearts within every member of the

New Covenant, by the grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, and that these people would live and serve the

Lord. It's based upon God's grace. It's based upon Christ's merit.

Therefore, the kingdom, our inheritance, forever, even forever and ever, is not temporary because it's based upon God, not us.

It is not a flaring movement. It is not a decaying denomination. It is not a corroding empire.

We have it forever, even forever and ever. Now, there's some heavenly perspective.

When we receive information in our information age, remember that it comes normally irradiated with the despair of paganism.

And if there's a proper way to handle fissile material, there's a proper way to handle the information coming into your lives.

We need to get heaven's interpretation on that. Remember who we belong to and what belongs to us.

Now, in the last part of Daniel 7, we consider the saints of God's kingdom in relationship to three aspects.

One, the iron beast. Two, the little horn. And three, the most high.

Now, after verses 13 through 18, you'd think that Daniel would be charged up, ready to go no matter what.

I mean, just look at what happens in verses 13 through 18. All the encouragement, the view of the

Son of Man before the Lord. This is mountaintop stuff.

And then we come to verse 19. And oh, are we not like Daniel. Daniel gets heaven's perspective on the matter, and then he says,

Yeah, but that iron beast is really scary. Man, what in the world is that thing?

I can't get over it. I want to know more about that iron beast. I want to know more about that fourth kingdom.

And what about that little horn on its head? It won't be quiet. That pompous, arrogant, blasphemous horn.

What about that? What about the saints who are going to get persecuted by this horn? And Daniel's intense curiosity has rubbed off on every generation of believers since.

But we should notice in verses 19 through 28 that we have the repetition of three themes. The iron beast, the little horn, and the most high.

In that order. Twice, we hear about the iron beast, the little horn, and the most high, and we hear about all over again.

And the point being made to Daniel is that although the iron beast would be especially terrifying and one of its horns would be especially violent against the saints, the most high would rule in favor of the saints, and they would receive and share in the kingdom granted to the

Son of Man. So we begin with the iron beast. In verses 19 and 20,

Daniel expresses his desire to know more about the fourth beast. And he goes on to talk about his interest as well in the little horn and so on and so forth.

But let's listen to the angel's response. Remember he went and said, hey, what does this all mean? Well, what is heaven's perspective on the iron beast?

Verse 23. Thus he said, here's the angel's response. Thus he said, the fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth.

Okay. 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 which shall arise from this kingdom. As we saw from chapter 2, so also here in chapter 7, we're looking at the empire of Rome.

Rome was different from the other kingdoms as it spread much farther and was far more stable and lasted longer.

Rome ringed the entire Mediterranean, spread as far as the Isle of Britain, and plunged deep into modern day

Africa and Asia. The iron boot of Rome was firmly placed upon the neck of the ancient world, enforcing brutally its

Pax Romana, its peace. And the ten kingdoms are those counted by the ancient historians themselves.

The first ten emperors of Rome, Julius, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian.

The ten first Roman emperors. Were there more than these kings in Rome? You better believe it, but these are the most relevant to the outworking of God's plan of redemptive history.

And particularly, one of them is a great example of how the iron beast devoured the whole earth. Luke chapter two, beginning in verse one.

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

New King James is registered, but the Greek word means taxed. Taxed. The beast is hungry.

The beast wants more of what you have. The beast needs more money to do more things.

Sound familiar? And Caesar Augustus is like, I need more funds.

I'll tax the whole world. And so he did. Verse two, this census first took place while Quirinius was governing

Syria. And then what happened? Perhaps you know the story. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea to the city of David, which is called

Bethlehem. Because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.

So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

You see, in the days of these kings, in the days of these earth devouring horns,

God sent forth his son to live and die and be raised and exalted and bring forth the good news of the kingdom, which would set

Rome on fire and turn the world upside down and undo tyranny everywhere it is preached.

Now the little horn. The second element of particular interest is one of these horns on the head of the fourth beast, namely

Rome. Verse 20 says, 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. Daniel's concern here is understandable.

This arrogant, blasphemous horn does harm to the saints. He doesn't like that. He doesn't like the look of that.

That disturbs Daniel. So he wants to know more. And the angel gives heaven's interpretation. Verse 24.

And another shall rise after them. Who's the them? Well, it says, He shall be different from the first ones.

So one after the first ones shall rise. What shall he do? He 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.

So the language here is admittedly a bit difficult, but essentially it comes down to this. One of the horns on the head of the beast is somehow different from the rest.

And he arises after the first few. And he arises by uprooting three of them.

He's especially big on appearance, self -glorification, and he's arrogant in his blasphemy. And he's cruel in his violent persecution of the saints.

Nero makes an excellent candidate for this horn. Why? He arises from the head of the fourth beast, who is Rome. And Nero was, you know, an emperor of Rome.

And although he was one of the emperors, he was another kind of emperor because he was the first one to rise to the throne of Rome outside of the line of succession.

How did he ever manage that? The three previous emperors, Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius, were assassinated, thus making room for Nero.

Three of the first horns were uprooted to make way for the little horn. And this upstart, without real claim, began persecuting the saints on December of 64 and kept up the sadistic violence until his own death in June of 68.

Time, times, and half time. How do I do three and a half? Three and a half years. Three and a half years.

Now, that crucible of tribulation for the saints, critical test for the early church.

But imagine, imagine the early church with Daniel's prophecy in hand saying,

It's not going to last forever. Pompey's arrogant little horn's going to go down.

Son of man's going to triumph. The kingdom won't fail. The kingdom is forever and ever and ever.

Through Christ they overcame, and the kingdom by the grace and power of God did not fall. There are, of course, many other proposals for the little horn of the fourth beast been suggested.

And over the last 2 ,000 years, many names have been suggested by believers facing difficult times.

Muhammad, Genghis Khan, 15 different popes, and we're still counting.

Charles I, Peter the Great, Napoleon, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Henry Kissinger, Gorbachev, JFK, Jimmy Carter.

And, of course, Ronald Wilson Reagan. Why Reagan? Because when you add up all the numerical value of the letters in his three -part name, it equals 666.

Obviously. And understand that the books I referenced are about 20 years old, so I don't know the recent theories.

The fact of the matter remains, little upstart tyrants have risen up throughout history and have tried to eliminate

Christianity. Whether they are Kim Jong -un or Xi or Putin or whoever they are.

They're always arrogant, they're always blasphemous, and they want to try to destroy Christianity. How are they doing?

Not very well. The record's pretty poor on the side of the tyrants.

Further, we should ask why this is. And we should ask from the book of Acts, how does Christ take it when his people are persecuted?

How does Jesus take it when his people are persecuted? Personally. And does he defend his bride?

You better believe he defends his bride. Even though we may suffer, and the church suffers in many different times and in many different ways, the unrepentant, pompous persecutors all end up the very same way.

Eaten by worms. So why fear fragile beasts? There's only one unstoppable king.

The most high is on the side of the saints. The most high is on the side of the saints.

And we see this in verse 22. 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.

In verse 26. But the court shall be seated. It shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever.

Then the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms and of 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.

Remember that Jesus said all authority has been given to him in heaven and on earth. And he ascended to the right hand of the

Father from where he reigns. And he's been given a name which is above every name. King of kings and Lord of lords.

This happened in his death and resurrection and ascension. And this is our present reality.

And so it is in through Christ, because he has all authority, that the message of the gospel goes to all nations.

To honor him as the king of kings and the Lord of lords. And although here in the prophecy we see that the iron beast and its little horn posed great danger to the saints of the kingdom, their success was never based upon their resources or merits anyway, but upon the sovereign intervention of the most high through his mighty right hand, the son of man.

Think about it. You know the story from the Bible itself. This is the way William Stevens observes the story about the saints.

They were to preach the gospel to every creature, yet they could speak no language but their provincial tongue.

They were to disciple all nations to Christ, yet every one of them had lately forsaken him and fled.

They were to uproot the idolatries of earth, yet were themselves feeble and superstitious.

They were to overturn the skillfully wrought schemes of human philosophy, yet were themselves untaught in the schools.

They were to conquer the world to the scepter of Jesus, yet now shut themselves up in an upper room for fear of the

Jews. How did it ever work out? Well, don't you remember that God is glorified as his strength is revealed in our weaknesses?

And he sent forth fire, fire from his throne, the

Holy Spirit upon his church. The fire which fell was not ours but God's and comes directly from the throne of God.

And this fire undoes the systems of the world and pushes forward the glory and authority of Christ.

Hebrews 12, the writer of the Hebrews speaking to Christians, particularly

Jews who were believers but also gospel to the Jew first and also to the nations.

What does he say to them about this good news? He says in verse 18 of chapter 12,

You have not come to the mountain that may be touched. Coming to Christ doesn't mean that you have to go on a pilgrimage to a physical mountain somewhere like the

Muslims going down to Mecca year after year after year. Coming to Christ, coming into the kingdom does not mean that you have come to a mountain that may be touched and that burn with fire into blackness and darkness and tempest, he says.

You're not going to Mount Sinai here, but, verse 22, But you have come to Mount Zion.

Where is Mount Zion? And to the city of the living God. Where is the city of the living God? The heavenly

Jerusalem. Hello. To an innumerable company of angels to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven.

To God the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect. Where is all this? Where is Mount Zion? Where is the city of the living

God? Where is the heavenly Jerusalem? Where is the general assembly? Where is the church? To Jesus.

You have come to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. And to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Welcome to the kingdom, if you've come to Jesus. And you should rejoice. Why should you rejoice?

Verse 28. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken.

Everything else can get shaken. Beast after beast goes down. System after system goes down.

But not this kingdom. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace.

Let us have joy by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

Why? For our God is a consuming fire. Our God is a consuming fire.

But we have an unfailing mediator. Our King Jesus.

So when it comes to beasts, do we have to behold? Sure. We can behold beasts.

But don't bemoan. If you would look at beasts, do so to highlight their fragility.

Their temporary nature. Their overblown, loud mouth, foolhardy dedication to their own doom.

And pray for God's will in heaven to be done upon the earth. Kingdom after kingdom will rise and fall.

Only one kingdom will last forever. This is the comfort and the promise of Daniel 7.

Let's pray. Father, we come before you this morning. We thank you for the encouraging promises that we have from your word.

Lord, it is so common and easy for us to be filled with fear, anxiety, worry about the noise and the troubles caused by beasts in our world.

Lord, we ask that you would give us grace by which we may serve you.

Fearing you rather than fearing man. Fearing you rather than fearing death. Rejoicing in our unstoppable

King, Jesus Christ. We pray these things in his name. Amen. Would you stand with me for our song of benediction?

Brother Michael's preaching first came to mind about these leaders that boast and are arrogant.

What should our attitude be? But he who boasts, let him boast in the Lord. For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the

Lord commends. Let's sing praise to our Lord. He is the one who established the unstoppable kingdom.

We are as a child of a believer in God and his body of Christ, we are a part of that kingdom. And we're going to sing, O come all ye faithful.

O come all ye faithful.

Joyful and triumphant. O come ye,

O come ye to Bethlehem.

Sing, choirs of angels.

Sing in exultation. O sing, all ye rivals of heaven above.

Glory to God, all glory in the highest.

O come, let us adore him.

O come, let us adore him.

O come, let us adore him.

Christ the Lord. Breathe in for this heavenly morning.

Jesus to thee be glory. The love of the

Father and the grace of the Son and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.