What a joy it is to be able to open up the Word of God and to hear from him. So if you will take your Bibles and turn to Daniel chapter seven, Daniel chapter seven, I might say that I hope you have your Bible with you, I know many of you use your little devices, I would encourage you not to do that. No serious Bible student will ever just use a little device, you need your Bible, you need to make notes in it, you need to underline things. And after a while, you will see all of Scripture kind of as one piece, not a little screenshot. Moreover, you will learn where passages are based on where they reside on a page. Sometimes I can't remember the exact place, but I know it's up in the right-hand corner. You know how that is. So when I say, open your Bibles, I hope you will do that. Now. Now that I've offended some of you.

Nevertheless, let's look at Daniel seven. Okay. And this morning, we are going to look at verses nine through 12, under the heading The Great Panorama of World History, and this is the third part, we will have one more part, I believe, next Sunday. And then we will conclude Daniel seven. Now before we look at the text. As I was thinking about this, and all that is revealed here in this passage of Scripture, I think, my isn't it wonderful that we have the word of God and that we can come together and worship, you know, we should never take that for granted. I mean, think about it, we live in a culture that is shaped by satanic deception, and idolatry. This is where we live. It's like living in Sodom and Gomorrah. We have leaders that seek to legitimize the grossest forms of immorality through legislation. We live in a culture where our leaders will fight for the right to kill unwanted babies. We have people in leadership today that actually believe that boys can become girls can become boys, or both, or neither. Absolutely insane. And so isn't it a blessing to be able to step out of the kingdom of darkness, so to speak, and come here, and be able to worship the Lord our God and spirit and in truth, what a joy and so we come again, to the Word of God, where we have an opportunity to hear from him. And again, when you think about it, sometimes because of all of the difficulties, especially in our culture, these days, sometimes it's easy to feel a bit cut off from the presence of God. I mean, we see no burning bush, we have no parting of the Red Sea. We have no pillar of cloud by, by day and fire by night, we have no Shekinah glory, illuminating a tabernacle, or the temple. So it is easy for us to lose a sense of awe when we come into the presence of the Almighty. And you might say we need a Jacob's Ladder, that spans the great chasm between heaven and earth. Between the transcendent holiness of God and the mundane existence in this world that's filled with so much evil. And beloved, we have that ladder in the Word of God. So let's climb it today. Whenever we open up his word, we enter into the presence of the one who should make us tremble. We are suddenly stricken with a sense of awe with a holy delight, that begs language, and I might add, if this is not your experience, when we open up the Word, there is something terribly wrong with your heart, perhaps even the status of your soul. So as we open up the God breathed word this morning, let's do so with a sense of reverential awe and joy. For in so doing we are entering into the presence of God. This is the closest we can get this side of glory right?

So having said that, let's look at Daniel seven beginning in verse nine. Let me read the text this morning, that we will be looking at and then we will examine it closely. Daniel says, "I kept looking until thrones were set up in the Ancient of Days took His seat. His vesture was like white snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames. Its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before Him; 1000s upon 1000s were attending Him and myriads upon myriad's were standing before Him; the court sat and the books were opened. Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words, which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away but an extension of life was granted them for an appointed period of time. I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of Man was coming, and he came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed."

Now, by way of review, in the first eight verses of chapter seven, the Spirit of God speaks through His servant, Daniel, and he gives us a panoramic view of world history, including the rise and fall of four great Gentile Empires that were symbolized by four great beasts rising up out of the sea, empires that would dominate Jerusalem and God's covenant people down through the millennia. The fourth beast is also symbolized by ten horns on the head of a great monster. And you will recall that an 11th horn appears a little horn comes up after them, which is revealed to be the Antichrist. And then later, as we examined last week, in verses 15 through 28, an angelic interpreter helps Daniel understand the big picture, a general interpretation of what Daniel saw. And he set the stage for more actors and for more drama and he explains how those beasts represent human kings and kingdoms that will come. He also reveals their kingdoms will not last, but they will one day be replaced by God's kingdom and ruled by the saints of the highest one. But in between verse eight, and the interpretation beginning in verse 15, there is an abrupt cutaway scene that we will be looking at today. You know how sometimes you will be watching some movie, and then all of a sudden, they'll cut away to something that is relevant to it, but it's very different. And it helps explain, and that's what we have here. So immediately after the terrifying description of the fourth beast with its blasphemous, little horn, uttering great boasts referring to the Antichrist rule over a future revived Roman Empire, Daniel is suddenly transported, if you will, into the very presence of God. It's as if God is saying, Look, Daniel, don't worry. I've got it all under control. This is all part of my plan. And as we look at this passage this morning, I believe there are two dominant themes that will help us understand better what the Spirit of God would have us know. First of all, we're going to see that God is the omniscient judge. And secondly, Christ is the coming King. We will examine the first one this morning. And I might also add, for all of us as twice born saints, this should cause us to just break forth in praise, right? And glad adoration; I mean, aren't you glad that we don't live in a random universe? Aren't you glad that the signs that are popping up all over everywhere that say, enjoy life now there is no afterlife. Have you seen those? They're popping up all over; Aren't you glad that's a lie? Aren't you glad Jesus said in John 6:47, "'Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has ever lasting life.'" Now, aren't you glad that our God reigns in absolute authority over all of his creation? He is the one Isaiah tells us in chapter 46 and verse 10, who declares "the end from the beginning, and from ancient times, things which have not been done, saying, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.'" So let's look closely at what God revealed to Daniel, pertaining to events yet future. And I want to emphasize this I say “yet future because there are some who believe that the fourth empire really reflects the Grecian empire of Alexander the Great, some believe, perhaps, even the Roman, the historical Roman Empire. But I would agree with other conservative Bible expositors that there are at least three factors, in verses nine through 14, that cannot be explained by what occurred during the duration of those two empires. First, Daniel's vision is one of, of God, the Father standing upon a throne to pronounce final judgment to the nations, which includes their utter and their permanent disillusion. And also, it includes being replaced by the everlasting kingdom of God, ruled by the Son of Man. And I would submit to you that nothing close to any of this has ever happened. Secondly, in verses 11, and 12, the little horn representing the ruler, the last rule, or I should say, of the times of the Gentiles, is destroyed, along with his empire. And there exists no reasonable explanation of this during the historical Greek and Roman Empires. And thirdly, the fifth Kingdom is established by the Son of man who comes with the clouds of heaven, he is presented before God the Father, beginning his everlasting kingdom. And again, no satisfactory interpretation can account for any of this in the ancient Greek and Roman Empires. Therefore, the only reasonable conclusion is that these things belong to a future consummation.

So with that little introduction, notice first, how Daniel and all of us, are reminded that God is the sovereign ruler, he is the one that is the judge. Notice in verse nine, he says, "'I kept looking until thrones were set up.'" In other words, he seeing here a courtroom is set up for the proper dispensing of justice upon the Antichrist and his kingdom, in the fourth kingdom. Now, I might add, this is a bit technical, but I want to make sure you understand these things. This is not a reference to the Great White Throne Judgment that takes place at the end of the millennial reign of Christ that you read about in Revelation 20, verses 11 through 15. But rather, this is either a special judgment or a special judgment relating to the little horn, the Antichrist, and the beast, the kingdom. Or it's the sheep and goat judgments that we read about in Matthew 25, which is going to take place at the end of the tribulation, it could be one in the same we're not really sure. But that will occur just before Christ establishes his millennial reign. Now, when Jesus returns to earth, in power, and in great glory, he will judge the inhabitants that are living on the earth, all of the nations, as we've read, will gather before him. And the purpose of that judgment is to determine who will inherit the kingdom and who will not. That's what we read about in Matthew 25, a little bit ago. That's the sheep and goat judgment, but the purpose of the Great White Throne Judgment is very different. It's to see who will be sent into the lake of fire. That's Revelation Chapter 20 and verse 15. Moreover, the subjects of the sheep and goat judgment are both believers and non-believers who are alive when Jesus returns. Thus the labels, sheep, and goats read about that in Matthew 25:32. But the subjects of the Great White Throne Judgment are only nonbelievers. It involves, for example, the resurrection of the last. Let me read you the passage in Revelation 20 began beginning in verse 13, "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and Hades gave up the dead, which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds, Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." So the sheep and goat judgment occurs at the end of the tribulation, and is therefore associated with the second coming of Christ, it's to determine who will enter into the millennial kingdom. Whereas the Great White Throne Judgment occurs at the end of the millennium after the 1000 year reign of Christ with his saints, according to Revelation 20, verses four through seven. And all of that is associated with the transition into the eternal state. So a little bit of theology there; little eschatology to help you keep things in perspective.

Now back to what Daniel sees here, in this courtroom that's being set up for what I believe is either a special judgment on the Antichrist and the final kingdom, or maybe the sheep and goat judgment may be one in the same we can't be sure. But think about this. What a magnificent contrast from verses seven and eight, where the blasphemous scoffing of the little horn, depicting the vile nature of the Antichrist, who's going to rule in that final revived Roman Empire just before Christ returns. I mean, what a contrast. We see here, all of a sudden, he's seeing God the Father sitting upon his throne. And you know, when you think about these blasphemous, scoffing things, I mean, we see that today all the time, every time I turn on the news, and I hear our leaders in Washington, I hear the same type of stuff. It's frightening, and I also am reminded of what God sees and his attitude towards it. You will recall in Psalm chapter two, beginning of verse two, "The kings of the earth," he says, "take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, 'Let us tear their fetters apart, and cast away their cords from us!'" I love this next sentence, "He who sits in the heavens laughs, Tthe Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying, but as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain." And that beloved, is my king, and your king, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Back to verse nine, notice these thrones "were set up." And you wonder, okay, "Thrones," there plural here, who else will be present at this tribunal? Well, we can see from scripture that it will be the saints of God, including, and especially the tribulation saints who were executed for their faith in Christ, and their refusal to wear the mark of the beast and worship him. We see the same identical symbolism in Revelation 20 and verse four. There we read, "Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus, and because of the word of God and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead, and on their hand, and they came to life and reigned with Christ for 1000 years." Now back again to verse nine. He says, "'I kept looking until thrones were set up and the Ancient of Days took His seat.'" If you've ever been in a courtroom, you know what it's like. The judge comes in, everybody stands and he comes in, he sits down, and that means it's time to begin the proceedings. I believe this to be God the Father, not the Son. The Son is introduced later on in verse 13, as the Son of Man who is seen approaching the Ancient of Days and who is presented before him. Then he says, "His vesture was like white snow and the hair of His head like pure wool.'" You can tell Daniel is trying to describe the indescribable. This emphasizes his purity, his omniscience, is truthfulness. We see the same symbolism, for example, in Isaiah chapter one and verse 18. There we read that familiar passage, "Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be," what? "as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool." And in David's contrition, you will remember how he prayed in Psalm 51 and verse seven, he said, "Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." We see the same symbols of God's purity and his omniscience and his truthfulness in rendering judgment in Revelation three and Revelation four and Revelation 19. In fact, this whole scene corresponds with what John saw and recorded in Revelation chapter four, and five. He goes on, and he says, "His throne was ablaze with flames, its wheels were a burning fire. I'm not sure what this really means. But somehow, you get this feel that it's like a chariot throne that that can move according to his command. But flames and fire, we know, are often associated with holiness and the terrifying judgment of God. We see this throughout Scripture. You will recall when Moses warned the covenant people of the dangerous consequences of their idolatry. He said this in Deuteronomy four in verse 24, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." Not surprisingly, Daniel's description of the throne of God parallels what is Ezekial saw. In Ezekial one in verse four, we read, "As I looked, behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with flashing fire forth continually and a bright light around it and it's in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire." Again, you can tell Ezekiel is just trying to wrap words around that which is utterly ineffable, Oh, child of God, don't miss this. God is not to be trifled with. He is infinitely holy, and he will judge sin on the basis of his character.

The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 97, and beginning in verse two, "Clouds and thick darkness around Him, righteousness and justice, are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him and burns up His adversaries round about." I must add, like God the Father, Christ as the Son of Man is equally glorious, and terrifying in his judgment. We read, for example, in Revelation one beginning in verse 14, where John describes the Lord Jesus in similar terms. There we read "His head and His hair were white, like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters." Beloved, once again, this is the mighty sovereign that I serve, that you serve. This is the Lord our God. We cannot even imagine what the judgment will be like upon the nations who refuse to honor him. God has promised a day of vengeance, dear friends; his holiness demands it. His pure character demands that his justice must and will prevail. And we know that even prior to that judgment, at the end of the tribulation, the wrath of God is going to be so fierce that it will cause people to want to die. We read about this in Revelation six, beginning in verse 15. And as I read this, think about your friends and your loved ones that reject Christ. Think about all of the arrogant people, even in our country, who mock the Lord Jesus Christ and mock his word, and who think we are idiots for believing that he's actually going to return. Here's what we read in Revelation six beginning in verse 15, And this is in the context of the pre kingdom judgments that will be poured out upon the earth, just prior to our Lord's return, "Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves, and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us, and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath is come and who is able to stand?'" Matthew 25, that we read earlier, verses 34, as well as 41. Jesus says, "'Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed to have My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'" And in verse 41, he says, "'Then he will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.'"

Now Daniel continues in verse 10, to describe the throne of God. There he says, "A river of fire was flowing, and coming out from before Him." So again, this is a further depiction of the glory and judgment of God upon his adversaries. It's like it's flowing out from him. "1000s," he says, "upon 1000s were attending Him and myriads upon myriads were standing before Him." In other words, innumerable saints and angels are surrounding him, worshipping Him, ready to do his bidding. This is a scene that underscores just the majesty and the power and the purity of the righteous judgment that he is about to administer. This is reminiscent of that day when the law was mediated to Moses on Mount Sinai; recorded in Deuteronomy 33 and verse two, there we read, "The Lord came from Sinai, and dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, and he came from the midst of 10,000 holy ones; at His right hand, there was flashing lightning for them." You know, it's impossible to even guess how many angels there are. One of my grandkids, I forget which one, asked me, "Papa, how many, how many angels are there?" We don't know, just a whole bunch of them. Look up in the stars, t's kind of like that, you can't even begin to count them. Indeed, their number is vast beyond measure. We know that holy angels are elect angels, who do not need redemption from a fallen state, unlike Satan, and the demons who sinned, there is no salvation for them. These are, these are magnificent creatures that we can't even imagine. They are not bound by physical space. They can be invisible or visible, they are without gender, they cannot reproduce after their own kind. And when they appear, they always appear as a man, never as a woman. These are ageless, immortal beings that are messengers of God, messengers of God's truth. They serve him perfectly, as well as ministering to us; they are our ministering spirits. And I would submit to you that they're all around us right in here. They can't see us, I mean, we can't see them, but they can see us. It's amazing. And this is what Daniel sees, surrounding the throne of God, "1000s upon 1000s were attending Him and myriads upon myriads were standing before Him."

And then the drama continues. Its almost as though you can hear a pin drop. It says, "The court sat, and the books were opened." Literally, the original says "the judgment sat." So in other words, the court is now in session, and it is ready to render justice.

Now, it was customary for the ancient Persians to record in a book all of the acts of a person worthy a future reward. You can read about that, for example, even in the Bible, in Esther chapter six verses one and two. So this would have been a familiar concept for Daniel and for the Jewish people that were in exile, that he was encouraging. And repeatedly in scripture we learn that God keeps a record of human actions. Deuteronomy 32:34, Psalm 56 eight, Isaiah 65 six, the passage we're in here, Malachi three and verse 16. In fact, in Matthew 12, verses 36 and 37, you will recall how Jesus condemned the Pharisees, saying that "every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the Day of Judgment." You see, folks, God is omniscient. There is nothing that he does not know, nothing that he ever forgets. So he has a precise record of all the evil deeds. You know, I mean, it's still inconceivable, but it's probably more conceivable to us than it would have been to my grandparents and great grandparents, because they didn't have computers that can keep track of everything these days, right? We see this in Isaiah chapter 65, beginning of verse six, "'Behold, it is written before Me," God says, In other words, their guilt is recorded before me. "I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will even repay into their bosom, both their and their own iniquities in the iniquities of their fathers together,' says the Lord." We see another similar description of books being opened in the context of the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20 and verse 12. That final and that short-lived reunion of the damned. There we read, "And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds." Malachi offers another example. The context here in Molokai chapter three, is to encourage the true and righteous remnant of Israel, those that loved and served God but knew that judgment was coming upon Israel, God wanted to encourage them by telling them how he remembered them. And in Malachi three, beginning in verse 16, we read, "Those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for those who fear the Lord, and who esteem His name." Then we read, "'They shall be Mine,' says the Lord of hosts, 'on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son, who serves him.'" This book of remembrance may well be synonymous with the book of life in which the names of God's children are recorded. We can read about that in Exodus 32, verses 32 and 34, as well as Daniel chapter 12 and verse one. Jesus said in Luke 10, in verse 20, "Rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven." We read about the book of life as well in Revelation 13, in verse eight, where it speaks of "the book of life of the Lamb, who has been slain." Even tells us when those names were recorded, you will recall, they were recorded, it says, "from the foundation of the world," absolutely astounding. God chose us according to his elective purposes, before creation. Before creation. The death of Christ sealed our redemption forever. Once again, I'm convinced that all that Daniel sees here, demands a fulfillment that is yet future and there's just no reasonable explanation that can point to anything in history that can be attributed to what God reveals to Daniel. And again, what a what a powerful encouragement, I hope you share this. This is such an empowering, powerful encouragement to me, knowing that God is working a plan. And one day he's going to right all the wrongs. He's going to make the crooked straight, as Isaiah records. What a motivator to serve Christ and to wait for his return. Notice what Daniel sees next in verse 11, "Then I kept looking," and here's why, "because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking." Obviously, this is speaking of the arrogant blasphemies of the Antichrist. And this catches his attention. That's what he's saying here. It's almost as if he's saying, and this is my own paraphrase here, "Lord, how long are you going to put up with this pompous clown. I mean, I just keep hearing this guy making all this noise." When I think about this, I am reminded of times, when my children, when they were little, as well as now, my grandchildren, I've still got a couple of little ones, when they're out with me at a place like Walmart or whatever. And there's some spoiled, rotten brat, that is just pitching a fit, cussing out his parents or whatever. And what do my kids do? They're looking at me like, are you going to...Is anybody... You know, how long are you going to put up with this? As if you know, I can do anything about it. That's kind of the same thing that's going on here. Daniel's just wondering, again, "I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking."

I want to pause here for a moment. You know, many of us look at what's going on in our country today and we say the same thing. When we see our political leaders and hear what they say, we say to ourselves, "Lord, how long are you going to tolerate this? This is beyond insanity." I mean, you would expect people to think this way if they were drooling lunatics, but these people are supposedly sane. And they're saying these things and doing these things. How long before you meet out your judgment upon these emissaries of Satan, who mock you? We all grow impatient, do we not? And increasingly frustrated. We can all join with the Psalmist who lamented in Psalm 13, beginning in verse one, when he said, "How long O, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul? Having sorrow in my heart all the day long? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?" Psalm 13, one and two. But dear friends, we must remember that God's ways are not our ways. And God's timing is always perfect. We tend to measure time in terms of days and months and years. And he measures time, in terms of millennia. For a day is like 1000 years to the Lord. Remember what Peter says in Second Peter three, beginning of verse seven, "But by His word, the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." In other words, judgment is coming. But he goes on to say, "But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like 1000 years and 1000 years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but," here it is, "is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." So dear friends, be patient. I have to tell myself that, Lord, hurry up and teach me patience, right? Trust in God's promises. As the psalmist said in Psalm 30, verse five, "weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning."

A beautiful picture hangs on our wall in our living room, some of you have probably seen it. It's a picture of this magnificent eagle flying in the mountains through the trees. And there's a verse attached to that. The great text out of Isaiah 40, beginning in verse 29, where we read, "He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who," what? "wait for the Lord; Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired they will walk and not become weary."

Now, back Daniel's dream, verse 11, "Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words, which the horn was speaking, I kept looking until," you've heard me say it before; I love the word "until." I love...that means something's about to happen that needs to happen. "I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire." Don't you know if you could have seen Daniel's response like, finally, finally. Think of all the stories that we've read and all of the movies that we've seen, where the villain just wins every battle. It's like, don't we ever get any justice here, and they just keep bringing you to a point where you're about to scream, and then all of a sudden, there's justice. That's what we have here. Justice will prevail.

Now, practically speaking, the books that were opened, prove the guilt of the beast. And speaking here of this restored form of the Roman Empire that the Antichrist will use, yet will rule yet future, the sentence of death is therefore justified. I also find it interesting here; of course, the beast, that meaning the kingdom as well as the little horn, the Antichrist, all of that is going to be destroyed together. And as I think about it, there will be no mausoleum to house the physical remains of this coming and final world dictator. Notice the ignominious end of this vile tyrant. It says "its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire." Dear friends, the lowest bowels of hell, await those who try to be like God. And in his description of the fall of the king of Babylon, Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 14 what happens, and this is also a picture we believe of Lucifer, the fall of Lucifer, where we saw the same kind of arrogance in the judgment to follow. Isaiah 14 beginning in verse 14, "'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. Nevertheless, you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, they will ponder over you, saying, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a wilderness and overthrew its cities, who did not allow his prisoners to go home? All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb. But you have been cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a trampled corpse.'" There is nothing more ignominious, nothing more monarch than having his body trampled underfoot. Now bear in mind here, the slaying of the beasts that Daniel sees, this destruction of a revived Roman Empire, will be achieved as a result of the Ancient of Days judgment when the Messiah King returns. And we know from other passages of Scripture when, that when the Lord returns, He will destroy the Antichrist's vast army that will be assembled in the valley of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat, by the way, means "Yahweh judges." That will be the battle of Armageddon, read about it in various passages. Zachariah 14, one through four, Joel three. Let me read you a little bit of this beginning in verse 12, of Joel three. "Let the nations be aroused and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all of the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full, the vast overflow, for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! But the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision The sun and moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness. The Lord roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem and the heavens in the earth tremble, but the Lord is a refuge for his people, and a stronghold to the sons of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. So Jerusalem will be holy, and strangers will pass through it no more."

So Daniel has been given here a, a front row seat to all that's going to happen with this arrogant, blasphemous little horn and his kingdom. The beast that was slain and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. Let me take you to Revelation chapter 19, which describes what's going to happen with the Antichrist, his capture, as well as the false prophet that will work with him. Beginning in verse 20, of Revelation 19, we read this, "And the Beast was seized," meaning captured alive, "and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast, and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone."

Now, finally, having witnessed the judgment of the beast and the little horn, he then focuses his attention to the rest of the beast, as it says here, referring to the lion, which represented Babylon and the bear, Medo-Persia, and the leopard that represented the Grecian Empire. So in verse 12, we read, "As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time." Now, to understand this, you must remember that whenever one of the three previous kingdoms were conquered, the people and their culture, were all absorbed into that new kingdom. And even to this day, we see elements of those vast ancient empires in all of the nations of the world. And this continuation will exist, even in the final empire that revived Roman Empire under the rule of the Antichrist. Thus, as Daniel says here, "an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time." But listen carefully, unlike the previous three beasts, the fourth beast, that final kingdom will come to a sudden, in a violent and a permanent end. As Leon Woods rightfully states, quote, "This contrast for the fourth is understandable. For the rule succeeding it will be the millennial reign of Christ, which will not absorb Rome's people and culture, with all their deficient, degenerate features. That will be a new, unique rule perfect, righteous, and equitable in every way." End quote. And these dear friends will be the subject of verses 13 and 14 that we will examine the next time.

Now, may I challenge you in closing? Oh, dear Christian, live in light of eternity. Jesus is coming. If you don't believe that, again, there is something terribly deficient with your faith. Give yourself completely to Christ, in worship and in service. Don't forfeit the blessings that he longs to lavish upon you, because of your faith and your obedience. Be bold and uncompromising in your gospel witness, in your testimony for Christ. So that when, not if, but when Christ returns in all of his glory, he will find you and me faithful at our post. Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain for the Lord, amen?

Let's pray together. Father, thank you for revealing to us these things that strengthen, confirm, our faith in all that you have promised. Thank you that someday you will indeed be glorified in all of the earth. And Lord thank you that by your grace you have saved us. And Father, if there be one here today that knows nothing of what it really means to be united to Christ in saving faith, I pray that you will remove from them all of the phony excuses and all of the false religious pretenses that would somehow make them believe that they are yours, when in fact they're not. I pray, Lord, that you will overwhelm them with the guilt of their sin and the glory of the cross; that this will be the day that they will repent. They will come to you in saving faith, crying out for a mercy they do not deserve, a grace that they cannot merit, that today will be the day that they will experience the miracle of the new birth. We commit that to you. We plead this for the glory of Christ. For its in his name I pray. Amen.