Monday, December 12 2011
Daniel 7
Verse of the Day: V28 “Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.”
1. The Horror (V1-8)
V1 “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.”
Daniel dreamt of the 4 great beasts which were the 4 great empires of the world. The first beast was the lion or the great Babylonian empire. The second beast was the bear or the great Medes-Persian Empire. The third beast was the leopard or the great Greek-Macedonian Empire. The fourth beast was a fierce beast with ten horns or the great Roman Empire. It was a horror and a nightmare for Daniel to see empire after empire fighting against one another, killing one another, and rebelling against the Almighty God.
V3 “And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.”
2. The Hope (V9-14)
V9 “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.”
The Ancient of days is none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Daniel realised that the only hope and salvation for man is for him to trust and believe in the Ancient of days who shall ultimately save him from the fiery pits of hell to the pearly portals of heaven.
V10 “A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.”
3. The Heart (V15-28)
V15 “I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.”
Daniel was grieved and troubled by the dreams and visions yet he kept them in his heart and only wrote them by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to be revealed to the future generations. He learned never to quit but to trust in the Almighty God now and forever.
V28 “Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me never to quit but to keep trusting You now and forever.
