General Session 7: Triumph through Promise - Abner Chou

good afternoon it is such a joy to be with you all I am so thankful not only to proclaim the word of God but to sing with you all I think there are so many evidences and illustrations of Truth triumphing as we walk through the text of scripture but one of them is us being together and us singing together and the weight of one voice crying out the same truth though we are scattered to the ends of the Earth we can come together and declare in one Accord the universal Eternal truth of the word of God in song that is indicative that truth is triumphed that truth has triumphed to the ends of the Earth it has gone not only far and wide but deep into the soul to regenerate the heart so that we all have the same affections and we all love the same Christ and he means to us the same thing who occupies the greatest love of our heart it's an honor to be with you Brothers we are a Band of Brothers together and that bond is indicative that truth triumphs never forget that well shall we dedicate this time to the Lord Our God and Father may it be that even now you instill in our heart burning desire for your name to be honored for the things of this world to grow dim and for the bright glories of Heaven to be exalted and that your son will be put on high higher than he ever has been in our hearts and our souls and we ask this not for our own sake but for the sake of your son through whom and for whom are all things ordained that he would be magnified that he would be accentuated that the heights of his glory and the depths of who he is would be able to be expounded into our finite and limited minds and that every fiber of our being would be captured unto him now and that we would love him and love your plan and know all of your promise and thereby persevere persevere unto a great moment when Heaven declares to the Earth the worthiness of the one who has always been worthy and so may this time oh God be one of great worship grant us Clarity of speech and Clarity of thought so that you would be honored the way you always have deserved to be honored and we ask this in your name amen when we think about the matter of perseverance there are several principles that we could talk about that fortify our soul to endurance but one of the keys to perseverance one of the keys to perseverance is this reality that truth triumphs well what do you say to yourself when you face setback and discouragement and adversity what what do you say to yourself in trial well what we don't do in trial and what we don't do in discouragement and setback is look to ourselves to our own resources to our own wisdom or strength or ability or scheming that's a recipe for disaster because we're just not that inspiring in those moments and to be even more Frank we're probably the reason half the time that we are in those difficulties no brothers we don't look to ourselves we look to Christ we look to his glory we look to His Majesty we look to his person we look to the one who has gone before us the one who has gone to the cross and one who has gone to death and overcome death in the resurrection and the one who will return and overcome all things truth triumphs and that is what compels Us in the hardest of circumstances to say with all of our might though this moment might be formidable and it might be fearsome this does not have the last say our God does and his word is final what do we tell ourselves we tell ourselves in those moments and steal in our heart truth triumphs that's the secret to perseverance and my responsibility this afternoon is to take you to the moment the initiation of the moment where truth triumphs turn with me to Daniel chapter 7 Daniel 7 now as you turn there you might be wondering how do you know that this is the moment that truth triumphs H how is it really that this text is so compelling and perhaps some of you are still wondering about the underlying assumption is it really that truth triumphs can persevere and preserve the soul can it really facilitate endurance the answer to all these questions can be found in nothing nothing other than the life of Daniel think about this for a second with me Daniel's life is absolutely remarkable if you stop and think about it throughout the whole scriptures we know that the Bible portrays human characters from Abraham to Moses to Peter and Paul both with the good and the bad so that you have a circumspect perspective about these individuals but it is absolutely then astonishing that scripture portrays Daniel purely in his Integrity that is the only comment that the scripture gives on this man and indeed if you think about this person he is uncompromising to God he is consistent he is faithful he is unwavering he is absolutely dedicated and he is that even in the most difficult the most threatening the most lifethreatening of times when there is risk and there is danger he is still steadfast sometimes we say man my life's so hard it's like they're throwing me to the Lions Daniel was thrown to the Lions the guy existence invented the phrase you know when Daniel was eight or 10 or 12 or 13 depending on how you want to do the dating of Daniel 1 he was more mature than the entire internet combined I know that's a low bar but you understand my point Daniel's life is so remarkable that in Daniel 6 when his enemies put him under the microscope the highest scrutiny all that they could find out about him was that he was loyal and faithful to his God that is astounding to think about that his dedication is so unwavering and so unrelenting that he had a faithfulness that eradicated all moral liabilities and the only thing his opponents could see in his life was the only thing in his life the loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ that is an astounding life and it would be amazing if he had that for a week I would want that for a week or a month or years but the scripture is clear Daniel Liv like that under the microscope in danger within political Intrigue with political schemes in different Kingdoms in different empires in different regimes day in day out every day of his life for over 80 years and no one ever saw him change from that that's an amazing life an amazing life I want a life like that and the question is what made him tick what made him do that what drove him what held him in those moments when there is so much danger surrounding him what did he think about what was his motivation we don't have to speculate we don't have to speculate it's Daniel chapter 7 you say how do you know that well here's one way to think about it Daniel 7 is the point of all of Daniel's thinking Daniel 7 is the point of all of Daniel's thinking Daniel in the Book of Daniel has been narrating an argument that God is still Sovereign God is still Sovereign chapter 1 of Daniel even when Israel is sent into Exile as evidence by the life of Daniel and his friends God is still Sovereign in Daniel chapter 2 because God Alone is the one who ordains dreams and can interpret them and this dream dictates the course of history of all the world God is still Sovereign in Daniel chapter 3 even when Nebuchadnezzar challenges the plan that is revealed in Daniel chapter 2 and in Daniel chapter 4 God is still Sovereign when Nebuchadnezzar doesn't just challenge God's plan he challenges God himself assuming that is Nebuchadnezzar was a ma self-made man and God shows him if I'm not sovereign over you if I'm not the one who dictates it you'll just eat grass like an animal God is still sovereign God is still Sovereign in chapter 5 as one Kingdom gives way to another kingdom and just as God had prophesied and planned and in Daniel chapter 6 God is still Sovereign in a new regime with new dangers but nevertheless the same God rules God is still Sovereign and so God has shown chapter after chapter after chapter a progression that every King and every Kingdom and every plan and every Nuance is Under The Sovereign dictate of God he is still Sovereign and therefore all of God's plan is moving through all of history to a point to an outcome Daniel chapter 7 Daniel 7 is the outcome it is the point of everything Daniel has been thinking and everything flows to it and everything flows from it but here's another way to think about it the Book of Daniel was not written chronologically and there are 12 chapters in The Book of Daniel and guess what chapter is right in the middle of the book Daniel chap 7 why is it in the middle of the book it's really simple it's Central to the book because it's Central to Daniel's Soul Daniel tells you what is his heartbeat Daniel tells us what He prizes Daniel explains to us what is at the center of his own heart and what he thought about and what he looked forward to and what captur Ed him and what drove him in all of the trials and all of the opposition and all of the danger so that day after day after day he would persevere and endure in faithfulness it is Daniel chapter 7 why because this is the moment that truth trimes this is the moment Daniel was waiting for and it captured his life to the very end now we use that phrase the moment we've been waiting for in all kinds of ways very often in life kids will use it for holidays for birthdays and Christmas because that's when they get presents and students will use this is the moment I've been waiting for to talk about graduation or getting married or getting a job and people will use that term when they have a job to talk about getting a promotion and and adults will use that term this is the moment we've been waiting for when they become parents and have children and then they'll also use that term when their children leave and when they become grandparents people use this term all the time you may have a moment you are waiting for it's called dinner we all have moments that we are waiting for and they compel us they drive us they give us perspective they give us determination that's the nature of a moment you are waiting for and while we may have many moments we are waiting for here's what Daniel says about Daniel 7 this is the moment this is the moment you are waiting for this is the moment that truth triumphs this is the moment you are waiting for and Daniel in Daniel 7 provides three realities three realities that help us to understand this moment and help us to understand this moment as the moment that truth triumphs the moment that we are waiting for and the moment then that we go back to over and over and over again like Daniel did so that we would persevere to the end truth triumphs through promise truth triumphs through prophecy and that's what we have right here in Daniel chapter 7 three realities in Daniel 71 through 14 and with this in mind let's talk about the first of those three realities this is the moment that history waits for this is the moment moment that history waits for and we see this in verses 1-8 1-8 immediately in this Vision what we understand is that this Vision was revealed with a design toward perseverance in the first year of Bazar king of Babylon this is a moment that is after Daniel chapter 2 but before of course the kingdom of Babylon Falls the Advent of Bazar king of Babylon was marked by tremendous inst ability tremendous political Intrigue and therefore tremendous danger to Daniel's life and so God reveals a vision to Daniel in order to give him absolute assurance that God's plan is going through to give him absolute stability in the storm this vision is all about instilling endurance and within this this vision is the vision of Visions as verse one recounts Daniel saw dream and Visions this vision is so powerful because it sums up it brings together all the dreams and visions that he's had and in fact this vision is so much of a vision it's not just one Vision it's Visions plural in his head as he laid on his bed this vision is so captivating this vision is so Central that Daniel ensures that he wrote The Dream down in perpetuity to preserve it and he also made sure to not only give every single detail about it but the summary of the matter so that everyone knew every detail and what it all meant this is an epic Vision this is the vision that is determining of all Visions this is Central to divine revelation and in thinking about this then there's a question that arises and what arises is if this vision is supposed to be the summary of all other Visions bringing them all together why doesn't Daniel 7 just match other Visions in the Book of Daniel like in Daniel chapter 2 for example example there's a lot of correlations between them we know that they're parallel Daniel 2 has four medals Daniel 7 has four beasts Daniel 2 has a fourth metal that has 10 toes and in Daniel 7 you have 10 horns and there's a metal in Daniel 2 with Iron and in Daniel 7 it describes a be with iron teeth there's absolute correspondence between these two visions so why couldn't Daniel be a little bit more American and just make them totally match and parallel it just make our lives a lot easier and the answer is in the imagery itself think about this with me survey this text with me you have the wind the sky of Heaven and the Sea verse two and then you have great beasts coming and then after you have the great Beast coming you have a man who rules over it all where do you have in the Bible that there's a mention of the sky and then there's a mention of the sea and then there's a mention of animals and then there's a mention of even the creation of man Genesis 1 Daniel 7 is meant to match Genesis chter 1 because the end will be just like the beginning and more to the point Genesis 1 has made a thesis Genesis 1 has said this is the way the world was made and there is a man who is destined Adam to rule over this world and the question that has been raised is a vital question who will fulfill Genesis 1 who will fulfill the destiny of creation who will be the last Adam and Daniel 7 is answering that question Daniel 7 in the end is showing who will fulfill the role of the one ordained from the beginning and so the world in its history will present the top four candidates shall we say the top four propositions of who might be this final Adam and it is four beasts as Daniel 7:2 discusses Daniel answered and said I was looking in my vision by night and behold the Four Winds of Heaven were stirring up the great sea and four beasts were coming up from the sea different from one another top four top four here's the first one here's the first one verse four the first Contender was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle I kept looking until its wings were plucked and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man and a heart of a man was given to it this should sound familiar in context who was like an animal and then God restored his sanity it is none other than Nebuchadnezzar we know that this is a description of Nebuchadnezzar he is that Contender he is the king and this is representative of the nation then and the kingdom of Babylon verse four but herein if you understand that lies an important lesson and irony here you have the symbol the mascot of Babylon you even see in an archaeological reliefs a lion Royal and Regal and having the wings of an eagle Swift and Powerful but when Nebuchadnezzar actually becomes that because he does in Daniel 4 he gets on all fours he starts growing hair and like fur he has Talons and and pinions like an eagle that isn't the ultimate epitome of power and majesty and swiftness and royalty when Nebuchadnezzar looks like that that's the Pinnacle of foolishness and Folly and here is what you learn the height of Man's power what man thinks is so mighty what man thinks is so exalted what man thinks is so IM m l strong when God actually has that when God actually sees that and observes that and causes it to take place what ends up taking place is this it is just foolishness before God that's the strength of man that's the strength of man and even more God makes the point if it wasn't for God you would just be a beast the difference between you and might and insanity is not this vast line of our power and our wisdom and our might no it is the thin line that God says you are this or not that's it and so Nebuchadnezzar though one of the top four contenders he goes off into the animals of history as one not the final man one not the final Adam instead he's just an illustration of God's definitive sovereignty that God is the definition God is the defining Factor of whether you make it or you don't whether you're like an animal or not and that's it so the first guy's out what about the second one he comes afterwards behold another Beast a second one verse 5 in the likeness of a bear and it was raised up on one side this corresponds exactly to what you see in Daniel 2 where the next metal the next material has is corresponding to the shoulders of a statue you have this binary pair in verse 5 as well raised up on one side and the reason that there's this couplet the reason that there is this pairing is because you have a confederation in this nation Meo Persia Meo Persia and its king and the Bible is so amazingly precise in this way and then the Bible continues such prophetic Precision notice the next part of verse 5 and three ribs were in its mouth those three ribs are Babylon Lydia and Egypt Babylon Lydia and Egypt that's exact actly the Nations that Meo Persia had to conquer to ascend into Power the Bible knew these things way before they ever happened the three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth and thus they said to it arise devour much meat Meo Persia conquered far more than Babylon ever did it went to Egypt it went to Central Asia it even tackled Greece and on the one hand it illustrates there will always be somebody better than you there will always be somebody better than you Babylon and those in Babylon at the time of Daniel needed to know that they thought they were the top Empire of the world and indeed up to that time of History they were but there's always somebody better there's always someone who's going to conquer more there's always somebody going to be doing more be humble but on the other hand Brothers pay attention look at the text carefully notice what it says and thus they said to it arise devour much meat who's the day who's telling this bear this nation of Meo Persia to do what it does this they is heaven this is heaven and this is a reminder do you want to know why people can do what they do and go as far as they go it is because God says go here and no further God is the determiner of everything and all the EXT ENT and all the success or even the failures of one's life God says go here and no further not just to the sea but to every single human and to every single King and to every single Kingdom we might be impressed with people and we might think that they're self-made people but that is not true they only go as far as God tells them to no further and no less God not only has defining sovereignty he uses the second beast the the kingdom of Meo Persia to show that he has determining sovereignty well that Beast didn't work out either so what about the third one there's another one verse six after this I kept looking and behold another one like a leopard which had on its back four wings of a bird this is the mascot of Greece this is exactly the nature of Greece you can even see this in reliefs and such this is Greece before its time this is prophetic with absolute precision and that it had four wings on its back not only speak of its reach to the four corners of the Earth but its swiftness to do so as it was led by Alexander the Great who at a very young age conquered the known World in Rapid succession and speaking of Alexander the Great notice the next phrase the Beast also had four heads why four well on the one hand yes it speaks again to the reach of Greece but on the other hand there were four generals that succeeded Alexander the Great the prophetic Precision here is astounding those four generals like simus cassander toam and Solus how would you know about them ahead of time it is a testimony to the inspiration of scripture and this Beast being so massive and so expansive it still says in the text though look at the final phrase and Dominion was given to it notice the text does not say it gained Dominion for itself Dominion was given to it and the question is who gave it dominion and the answer is God Alexander the Great conquered a vast swath of territory spanning the whole Known World and even going as far as India and we might be impressed with the breath of people's accomplishments and the breath of people's sovereignty and the breath of people's domain and Authority but here's what we have to remember and Alexander he's just an ex he's just an illustration of this that God's sovereignty controls the breath of human ability the breath of human achievement the breath of human authority that's all he is that's all he is and God not only controls the breath of human ability and Authority he controls the height of it as well and that's what we see in verses 7 and 8 there's a fourth Contender for who could be the final Adam and in verses 7 and 8 we read after this I kept looking in the night visions and behold a fourth Beast there's the fourth contender fearsome one who innately has terrifying might and he is terrifying because he's so intimidating and he is extraordinarily strong he is one who can actually exert all that Force against others this is a beast of a totally different caliber and notice it says in verse 7 and it had iron teeth this not only goes back to Daniel chapter 2 which talks about the part of a statue the image that had iron but this explicitly refers to the nation of Rome in fact Rome was famed for having iron they even had the iron Legion the Bible is so prophetic and so precise in its prophecy it even knew the materials the key materials a nation would use before The Nation even existed that's how precise it is it's astounding to think about and Rome we know did exactly what verse 7 said it did it says it devoured as it assimilated other and and into itself and crushed to prevent any kind of resistance and then trampled them down in their own form of Oppression the remainder with its feet Rome did exactly that as it exerted Total Domination and in that way it was different from all the beasts that were before it Rome had a much longer duration much greater reach and much greater influence one that you could even argue extends through this very day and even into the escaton speaking of which notice the last phrase of verse 7 and it had 10 horns so far we have seen things that match with history very very well hand in glove but all of a sudden we read that this Beast had 10 horns horns are a symbol of strength and a symbol of royalty we can read that in the Psalms that's a good place to look and as such normally you have a king over a kingdom but in this specific case this Kingdom becomes so large and so magnificent it doesn't just have one king it has the equivalent of 10 Kings you could think of it this way this Kingdom reaches a state where it is 10 times larger 10 times wealthier 10 times more powerful 10 times more expansive than any other Kingdom of this world we have not seen that yet and just like in Daniel 2 the 10 toes of the statue were part of a statue made with iron and Clay a new iteration a new manifestation of the kingdom of Rome you could say it's Rome 2.0 if you want to say it that way this is referring to the eschatological manifestation of Rome this is referring to the culmination of Rome in the end times it is 10 times a kingdom than any Kingdom you have ever seen it is the kingdom of the Antichrist and in verse 8 while I was contemplating the horns and Daniel has to think about this because he's not just focusing on kingdoms he's focusing on who will be the final Adam and there is a king coming out of this Kingdom as he's contemplating the horns another horn a little one the underdog came up among them and three of the first horns were pulled up by the roots this individual this singular horn this new ruler Underdog on the Block totally upends and totally distorts and disturbs the power structure the political system of this world in the end times it has to be powerful to be able to do that it has to be gargant Mighty to be able to do that and you could think of it this way this King this king is the climax of the climax of the climax already Rome itself as a fourth kingdom is a climactic Kingdom different than all the rest that's a climax but then it will have an eschatological manifestation with 10 horns a 10 Kingdom Confederacy and so that's the climactic climax of this Kingdom and now what you have is an antichrist who's the climax of those two climaxes he's the climax of Rome and its eschatological manifestation the climax of the climax of the climax and as such he possesses eyes it says at the end of verse eight like the eyes of a man the Antichrist will be the embodiment of all human intelligence all human wisdom he will be a genius like you've never seen before a political genius just by way of illustration in the Book of Revelation when we first meet the Antichrist he's riding on a white horse because he's a fake Christ and he conquers the world and it says he has a bow to conquer the world but what's fascinating is there's no mention of arrows how do you how do you how do you fight with a bow with no arrows I don't know how to do that because I don't know Kung Fu but the Antichrist he can conquer the world without firing a shot because he's a genius he's a genius like you've never seen before he possesses eyes like the eyes of a man and even more than that notice this he has a mouth that speaks great boasts that word boasts its underlying root word is the word great and you say why does that matter because the word great is used very strategically in the Book of Daniel and It ultimately applies to and focuses on the Statue which was a what kind of statue in Daniel's Vision a great statue the Statue the image in Daniel chapter 2 not only represented different kingdoms but collectively represented all of Man's power all of man's might take all of history all the nations boil in them all together and assemble all of the authority and Dominion of them that is what the Antichrist has you could put it this way he is the climax of the climax of the climax and he is the consolidation of all human intellect wisdom power and might in one this is the Earth's final final proposition final proposal of who could be the final Adam but they couldn't be more wrong God has allowed all of this to happen God has raised up all of this and there is a point to it all and we can't miss that point there are a lot of lessons that we can learn through this flow of History we can learn lessons about God's sovereignty that he has definitive sovereignty whether you are man or beast is up to God he has determinative sovereignity how far you go is determined by God how the bread of man's Authority or the height of man's Authority it's all determined by God and those lessons would be true there are important lessons in Daniel 7 1-8 about the nature of the word of God that God can have just this prophetic accuracy talking about Kingdoms in succession and talking about them in such immaculate detail way before they happen put it this way God can talk about what happens after Alexander the Great Is Dead Before the guy is even born that is how precise God is and what that testifies is there is a God in heaven and and he knows everything and not only does he know everything he ordains everything and not only does he ordain everything he revealed it all right here this text should be a cause for celebration because that is the nature of our God and not only that we not only learn lessons about God's sovereignty and the word of God we learn lessons about eschatology there are implications knowing that these four kingdoms come and an eschatological Kingdom of the Antichrist will arise and after that Christ will return and set up his kingdom just like we see in Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 there are implications of that but Brothers don't miss the point don't miss the point there is a reason why the imagery of this text is the way it is because heaven has asked a question Heaven has asked a question of all world history and that question is who is the one who fulfills creation who is the one who is the destiny of this world who is the one who is the final Adam that is the question of this world that is the question of its history and brothers if that is the case then we better be careful of getting distracted and disillusioned by fads and Trends instead of proclaiming the main question of who is the last Adam and who is that worthy let me put it this way if that's God's question that better be our question because that's the main point even more though even more don't miss this God God didn't just ask a question in this text with the imagery God gave an answer there is a reason why before Daniel's eyes in this Vision there is king after King and Kingdom after Kingdom after Kingdom because all of history is flowing and all of history is moving and all of history is accelerating to the moment where Heaven will give its answer that's where history is going the Earth has made proposals they've given us the top four for Mighty ones and some of you here are wondering where's the USA in this USA USA Brothers we didn't even make it in the top four and that shows us the me the power that these men had in history we've never seen in our life we've never seen in our life but here's something else to know Christ power is still yet more and along that line history is moving Kingdom after Kingdom exhilarating and flowing to the moment where Earth offers its best solution but that is no solution at all and so Earth will give way to heaven and heaven will come down and heaven will open up with all of its glory and all of its brilliant light and thunderous Clarity and will proclaim the answer the answer that everyone has been looking for who is the final Adam who is the destiny of this world who is the one who fulfills Genesis 1 it is the Lord Jesus Christ there is a moment we are waiting for and by God's design all history waits for it that is the truth of the matter and brothers since that is the case then let us not keep our eyes fixed on the things of this world and the things of the here and now God is directing us to look to a future moment when Heaven announces to Earth and Heaven declares to Earth our eyes should turn there and we should turn the eyes of our people there there is a moment we are waiting for all history is designed to wait for it and so we should await for it as well well in light of that let's get to the moment shall we and that's found in Verses 9-2 that is found in Verses 9-2 and you could put it this way the first re ity we saw is that all history is waiting for this moment the second reality is anthropologically speaking it is as if the father is waiting for this moment it is as if the father is waiting for this moment what is this moment like I love the opening of this verse 9 Daniel says I kept looking until Thrones were set up I love this whose Thrones are those and the Bible makes it clear both by context and even by later Revelation in confirmation that these Thrones are for of the people of God there are 24 12 and 12 Israel in the church for the Elders of God in heaven and for those who are all assembled around and this would be so encouraging to Daniel because this is God's moment and God's message to Daniel Daniel I know you've been beaten up I know you've been hunted I I know you've been persecuted every single day since you were 10 for your whole life let me tell you this Daniel you will reign in the end Brothers we may be beaten down and we may be those who are trampled not even to the extent that Daniel was but we need to remember this truth triumphs truth triumphs it is exactly Paul's promise that if we endure with him we will what Reign truth triumphs that's what we have here but the moment isn't about us this moment is not about us it is about our God and our God like any celebration any wedding or any festival or any Milestone every detail every single detail is carefully orchestrated and designed and crafted Ed to accentuate the Grandeur of this occasion and we can see that for one in everything about God is Manifest to that end and notice what the text says in verse 9 and the Ancient of Days was seated you say Ancient of Days is God old no he's Eternal he's Eternal he is above time he is beyond time he transcends time and only one who is so above and apart from time can Define all time why does God appear here as the Ancient of Days he is making a statement from eternity past to Eternity future this is the moment this is the moment that fulfills all time this is the moment that fulfills all time notice what the text also describes about God in this text his clothing was white like snow we know that the Priestly garments were supposed to be white and we know that we were supposed to be cleansed white as snow Isaiah chapter 1 this is talking about Holiness this is talking about salvation this is talking about redemption in that way this is the moment that not only fulfills time this is the moment that fulfills Holiness and righteousness and not only that notice what else the text says about our God and the hair of his head was like pure wool the scriptures describe those who have white hair and who have gray hair as those of immense wisdom we can see this in Proverbs and though the wisdom of our God has been hidden throughout the ages and the wisdom of the Cross is hidden to those who are perishing there will be a day when the wisdom of God is made abundantly clear and every knee will bow and every mouth will be shut because they see the Brilliance of our god this is that moment this is that moment and so everything about God is presented and manifested to show this will be the display of The Sovereign God in all time in all wisdom in all righteousness but it's not just everything about God it's everything around god notice what the text says his throne next part of verse 9 was Ablaze with fire the epicenter of his authority the epicenter of his omnipotence the epicenter of his power was focused on one thing Ablaze with fire the fire of destructive judgment this will be the Fulfillment of justice and judgment and it won't just be the Fulfillment of justice and judgment it'll be the Fulfillment of the world in that regard because notice the last phrase of verse 9 its Wheels were a burning fire it is very important that we remember that this Chariot Throne is a chariot Throne it'll come in View later Ezekiel sees the same thing he sees a throne with wheels within a wheel symbolizing and demonstrating that not only is our God omnipotent he's omnipresent present he can go anywhere at any time and strike anything and with that this blazing fiery Throne is going to judge every inch of this world and that judgment will be final notice verse 10 a river of fire was flowing and coming out from him it is like there will be a deluge of fire that will consume The World God flooded the world the first time and he promised never to do that again again with water but he never said anything about not doing it with fire and the first judgment anticipates this final one the first judgment was a warning water is God going easy fire is God going final and God says I will destroy I will judge this entire world in a final judgment he's going to do it with fire that's why I'm green cuz I just want to make sure there's plenty of kindling for the occasion just kidding and so what you have is this is a moment that defines time this is a moment that defines Holiness this is a moment that defines wisdom this is a moment that fulfills judgment and this is a moment that fulfills earth and its history everything about God and everything around God is poised for this moment but it's not just everything about or around God it's everything everything alongside of god notice the last part of verse 10 thousands upon thousands were attending him this moment doesn't just fill fulfill Earth this moment fulfills Heaven it fulfills Heaven as thousands upon thousands are standing at attention ready to do God's bidding have you ever wondered what the phrase Yahweh of hosts means Yahweh of the armies here you learn the lesson He commands the armies of Heaven and the armies of Heaven now are all assembly L to execute his will it is infallible and it is also Majestic as myriads upon myriads were standing before him in salute people Kings of old gather their courts together as a display of their power and their majesty and their Glory but those corders they might be just 10 or a 100 maybe 300 here you have before God all of Heaven assembled 10,000 upon 10,000 upon 10,000 finally living out the Destiny for which they were created it is for this moment this moment fulfills Earth even as it fulfills the very reason in God's Providence that he ordained Daniel's name to be Daniel is to point to this moment this is the moment that not only fulfills time and Holiness and wisdom and judgment and Earth and all Heaven this is the moment that fulfills all Revelation and when you have that kind of moment that deals with time and Holiness and wisdom and judgment Earth and Heaven and Revelation and everything around God and everything about God and everything alongside of God so craftily designed then you know that that is the moment we are waiting for and you know even more anthropomorphically speaking that is the moment the father is waiting for and this moment this moment isn't just for show it's effective notice verses 11 and 12 here's what happens from Heaven to Earth then I kept looking because of the sound of the great boastful Words which the horn was speaking the horn is at its Pinnacle of greatness assuming all the strength and all that embodies all the world nations of all history in and of himself and in this Pinnacle moment what does it say I kept looking until the Beast was killed he's defeated this embodiment of evil this embodiment of human might this embodiment of human Ingenuity is defeated but it's not just that he's defeated notice its body was destroyed his entire Kingdom the entire system that he has set up the most elaborate system celebrating man and celebrating Earthly achievement it is dismantled evil is dismantled in that way but it's not just that there was defeat it's not just that there was dismantling there is damnation notice the last phrase and given to the burning fire do you know what God does with evil in the end he doesn't just defeat it what he does is it is subjugated to Eternal condemnation Eternal punishment so that that evil in its Eternal punishment will give glory to God and his righteousness forever that is when really truth TR triumphs and the extent of this is made clear verse 12 as for the rest of the Beast their Dominion was taken away but an extension of life was given to them for an appointed season of time on the one hand these beasts pop up again these other nations pop up it's as if the fourth Kingdom never even existed it is so eradicated it is so erased it is so dealt with that it is gone and all you have are the other beasts but on the other hand here's the question why was it verse 12 that these beasts their Dominion was taken away because in this moment this moment that deals with time and Holiness and wisdom Heaven and Earth and judgment and all Revelation this moment was designed so that it would strip everyone of any semblance of power any semblance of rule any semblance of Might any semblance of authority so that there would be one and only one who possesses all all of that by himself and that is the Lord Jesus Christ why is this the moment in a sense that the father is waiting for because this is for his son this is when he gives his son all that his son deserves this is the moment that truth triumphs everything in this moment is meant so that the everything in this world will not only be made right but not only be reconfigured but will revolve around God's son and at that moment when this takes place it will be true that thy kingdom come and thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven that's when truth triumphs and brothers Brothers then when you are discouraged and when you face trial and there are times in our heart we wonder is this worth it should I just keep going or or should I throw in the towel and call it quits what we must remind ourselves is this is not the way it ends this is not the way it ends there is a moment we are waiting for a moment when the world is made right and it is reconfigured around the Sun of God and at that moment everything we've labored for and everything we preached will not only come to pass it will be Vindicated and it won't just be Vindicated but in the mercy of God he will use it to honor the son that he loved loves and at that moment we will know we will know it is absolutely worth it because he has always been worth it there's a moment we are waiting for hang in there Brothers there is a moment that we are waiting for and it will be worthwhile because God has ordained it for his son and so we've seen this is the moment that history waits for this is the moment that the father in a sense waits for because it's about his son and that leads us to the final point then this is the moment for Christ this is the moment for Christ and we see that in verses 13 and 14 Daniel says I kept looking in the night visions he's seen all the fakes he's seen all the frauds now he wants to see the real one and what makes this one so real well for one he's Lord of Heaven and behold with the Clouds Of Heaven behold with the Clouds Of Heaven Christ is riding the Clouds Of Heaven why because it testifies of his swiftness his speed it's amazing to think about lightning fast but it's not just that clouds are used and Psalm 97 and elsewhere to speak of the mystery of God Christ has an impen able Holiness an impenetrable Glory an impenetrable greatness and he is Manifest with that but even more than swiftness even more than Supremacy here is the truth of the matter Christ rides in with all of Heaven behind him there is only one who rallies Heaven there is only one who all of heaven will assemble around in the end and it is the one in this Vision he's not just the Lord of Heaven he's the Lord of Earth notice the next phrase one like a son of man was coming it is crucial that you see the word like because that shows similarity and dissimilarity Christ is a son of man because he's truly man but he is not just a man he is God man and even more he is God man who fulfills the role of the final Adam he does not have the finiteness or the Frailty and certainly not the sin of any normal man he is the one one who surpasses and transcends all of this because he is God man and therefore has the right and the capability to be the last Adam the destiny of this world there is only one who can be the final Adam and it is the one of this Vision he is not just the Lord of Heaven or the Lord of Earth he's also exalted notice what it says and he that is the son of man came up to the Ancient of Days the word came up to has the idea in Aramaic of the word reached it is a similar word used in Genesis that the Tower of Babel attempted to reach heaven and in gen in Daniel chapter 2 the statue of man attempted to reach the skies and in Daniel chapter 4 Nebuchadnezzar thought he could reach heaven none of them can none of them can why because there is only one who can there is only one whose accomplishments will Ascend on high there is only one whose achievements are so exalted it is the one of this vision and he not only came before the Ancient of Days he came near before for him because he's not just exalted he's equal to God if any of us came face to face with God we know exactly what would happen we fall like a dead man not this one because there is only one who is equal to the father as God man it is the one in this vision and this one is not just the Lord of Heaven he's not just the Lord of Earth he's not just exalted he's not just equal he has all Victory notice verse 14 and to him was given Dominion glory and and a kingdom Dominion refers to the rule of power that one may have Glory refers to the honor that one receives and a kingdom shows where all that places out and all of that takes place the kings in Daniel even Daniel seven but even earlier than that they all want Dominion they all want Glory they all want a kingdom they all seek to have it desperately but they never can why because there is only one and one only who who deserves it and it is the one of this Vision he doesn't just have though all Victory he has all people notice the next phrase of verse 14 that all the people Nations and Men of every tongue that phrase is used throughout Daniel Daniel 3 that's what Nebuchadnezzar wanted everybody to worship Him in Daniel 4 that's what Nebuchadnezzar addressed to show his might and in Daniel 5 a similar idea takes place and even in Daniel 6 the phrase is used to show Cyrus's own power and they all thought that they could compel and control people nation and every man of every tribe and tongue but they couldn't they couldn't why because that right is reserved for one and only one the one in this vision and it's not just that there is all Victory to this one and all people to this one it is that all worship goes to this one notice the next phrase that those people might serve him Nebuchadnezzar ordered that everyone in his kingdom serve him by bowing to the stat you but three refused three refused why to show you will never have all the worship of all the peoples why because that belongs to one and only one the one in this Vision this one is not only the Lord of Heaven the Lord of Earth exalted and equal all Victory all people all worship belonging to him but he has it forever he is king forever notice his Dominion is an everlasting Dominion which will not be taken away unlike all the other kings and furthermore his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed every other king his kingdom just goes into the history books to be forgotten unless a history teacher brings it up to you and examines you on it but with Christ we will never have just memories of his kingdom it will be the Everlasting in yourface reality that celebrates him for forever because his kingdom endures overall and forever this is what this Vision reveals and when you are the Lord of Heaven and the Lord of Earth exalted and equal having all Victory all people all worship you are a king forever and your kingdom is forever when you are the one who is all in all in everything and everywhere and every way and eternally then you are the only one who is worthy that's the truth of it and what has happened is heaven has posed a question to Earth who is the one one who has been worthy who is the one who is the final Adam and all of Earth history has been on a search for this individual but in the end heaven will declare to Earth that there is only one there is only one who is Lord of Heaven there is only one who is Lord of Earth there is only one who is exalted there is only one who is equal to God there is only one who has all Victory All Peoples all worship who is king forever and is kingdom is forever and that one is the Lord Jesus Christ there is a moment we are waiting for and we love that moment because it is all about Christ and we love him that's why that M matters so much to us and brothers in light of that there is always a Temptation in Ministry to promote ourselves that we feel like we're the guru we're the center of everything people have to come to us because we're just that Central and we want to believe that the world hangs on our shoulders Brothers there's a moment that we're waiting for and in that moment none of us matter who matters and who is on display is the Lord Jesus Christ and we love that moment because of him and therefore we Proclaim him truth triumphs brothers that's true truth triumphs that's true but truth triumphs in him alone so we preach Christ there's a moment that we are are waiting for it's a moment that history waits for it's a moment in a sense that God waits for it's a moment that it's all about Christ but here's something by way of epilogue to think about Daniel wasn't the only one waiting for this moment think about with me the book of Isaiah chapter 6 what does Isaiah say I saw the Lord Seated on a throne high and lifted up just like Daniel 7 Isaiah saw an aspect of the same vision think about Ezekiel he saw a chariot Throne a throne having wheel within a wheel just like Daniel why because Ezekiel Saw elements of the same vision Paul on the Damascus Road he saw the glorified Christ and in that moment the circumstances matched with Daniel 7 and even the discussion of the saints that uh Paul has on the Damascus Road it matches what happens in Daniel 7 Paul on the Damascus Road saw elements of the same vision and of course John in Revelation chap 4 and five what does he see the Lamb of God taking the scroll from the Ancient of Days they saw the same thing Daniel wasn't the only one waiting for this Vision it was Isaiah it was Ezekiel it was Paul it was John it's all of the people of God we are all waiting for this moment and in light of that Brothers if you ever get disillusioned if you ever just are stuck in the here and now and you can't get your mind off of that remember there is a moment we are waiting for it is going to the Future not to the Here and Now and brothers if you are discouraged and you are desperate and you are wondering is it worth it there is a moment we are waiting for it is a moment that is absolutely worthwhile for it is for God's son and if there are times when you are distracted and you are thinking more about yourself than Christ remember there is a moment that we are waiting for and it reveals that there is only one who is worthy there is a moment that we are waiting for that is where we fix our eyes upon that is the secret of perseverance truth triumphs and Daniel knew that because that's the center of the book because it's the center of his own soul and it kept him to the end so may it be brothers may it be that we persevere and we hang in there well and we endure Faithfully to the end because there is a moment we are waiting for and brothers it will surely come soon shall we pray Our God and father thank you for this revelation of your promise and this revelation of your prophecy help us to lift our eyes from Earth to heaven to think of the from the things of this world to the things above where Christ is and to see him and to know that he will be so exalted in the end and in the end it will be thy kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven Help Us to long for that and through that to endure to that end and to proclaim the Christ of that moment who is eternally worthy be glorified in our lives and we Delight that you are always so triumphant in your name we pray amen

Channel: Grace Community Church

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Id: Q39G_nQ9R7E

Length: 63min 18sec (3798 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 29 2024