Title: God Will Revenge (Daniel 7:19-22)
LESSON 80 God will bring justice (Daniel 7:19-22)
7:19-22
So I wanted to know the truth of the fourth beast, which was different from all other beasts, and was very terrifying, and its teeth were iron and its claws of bronze; it ate and crushed it, and trampled the rest with its feet; and it had ten horns on its head, and another horn. When it came out, three horns fell before him, and his horns had eyes and a great speaking mouth, and their appearance seemed stronger than their fellows. I saw that this horn made war with the saints and was victorious; and the Ancient of Days came and visited the saints of the Most High. and the time came, and the saints received the kingdom.
Daniel especially wanted to know the truth of the fourth and last of the four beasts he had seen in the vision. The reason is given in verse 19. "In other words, it is different from all beasts." The fourth beast was different from the other beasts. The first beast was like a lion. The second beast was like a bear. And the third beast was like a leopard. But the fourth beast could not even say its name. Because it was something I had never seen before.
Daniel describes the characteristics of the beast. "It's very scary." It was an incredibly frightening sight I had never seen before. "It is iron." The teeth were made of iron. In 7:7, it says, "He had great iron teeth." The teeth of the beast were not only made of iron, but also large. And what were the claws made of? It was made of brass. So, since the fourth beast had large iron teeth and its claws were made of bronze, how strong was it?
Let's continue to see. “They ate and crushed them and trampled the rest with their feet.” They said they trampled the rest with their feet. How cruel and ferocious was that? The fourth beast symbolized the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire is brutally conquering other countries. The Roman Empire was a country with great destructive power.
Please see verse 20. "And it had ten horns on its head." This symbolizes the later division of the Roman Empire into ten kingdoms. In the Bible, the number ten means a perfect number. Let's take an example. Daniel and his three friends decided on a plan, and instead of defiled themselves with the king's delicacies and wine, they ate vegetarian food and drank water. The three-year training period has passed. He went before the king and was examined. At that time, how many times did Daniel and his three friends say that their wisdom and intelligence were superior to those of the other colleagues? It was ten times. What does tenfold mean here? If another colleague's IQ is one hundred, does that mean their IQ is a thousand? no. To say ten times is to say that it is far superior. The same is true. The phrase "it had ten horns on its head" means that the Roman Empire would be divided into many nations. In fact, after the passing of the Roman Empire, the world is now divided into many countries, isn't it? No single country rules the world as in the past.
Let's continue to speak. "Besides that, another horn came out." What do the other horns mean here? Small horns. Let's look at verse 8. "As I looked closely at the horns, another little horn grew out of it." The eleventh horn was small at first. What did you say this little horn symbolizes? This is the Antichrist who will appear in the last days. In the Bible, small horns are expressed in various ways.
Let's look at 2 Thessalonians 2:3.
“Do not let anyone deceive you by any means, which will not come until the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition.”
Here the little horn is described as "the man of lawlessness," "the son of perdition." Let's look at the words of 1 John 2:18.
“Children, this is the last time, and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so many antichrists have arisen now, and therefore we know that it is the last time.”
Here, the little horn is represented as the Antichrist.
Let's go back to the main text. The appearance of this little horn is described in four ways. First, he said, "Three horns fell before him." The little horn uprooted the other three horns around it. conquered by force. This means that the power of the small horn is strong. Second, he said, "Its horns also have eyes." Said to have human eyes. It means that the Antichrist has intellect. The Antichrist is just that cunning and clever. Thirdly, he said, "I have a large speaking mouth." He said that speaking loudly is speaking against God and persecuting the saints. blasphemous words. It means that you want to become God. Fourth and last, he said, "Its appearance was stronger than that of its kind." It looked incredibly strong. This means that the other seven nations will eventually have to submit to the little horn, the Antichrist. When the Antichrist appears in the last days, all the nations of the world will be subject to him.
Look at verse 21. “I saw that this horn made war with the saints and was victorious.” The little horn persecutes the saints. gives suffering. why? Because the saints do not bow their heads to the little horn. In order to keep their faith, the saints will be prepared for martyrdom and resist the Antichrist. Although the antichrist persecutes the saints, it is not eternal. Limited to the permitted period.
Let's look at 7:25.
“He will speak words against the Most High and afflict the saints of the Most High, and he will seek to change times and laws, and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.”
It is to torture and persecute only when God has ordained it. It is only three and a half times of persecution. So it's not forever.
Look at verse 22. "The Ancient of Days has come." It means that the Sovereign God, the eternal God who alone controls the history of the world, is coming. How are you coming? "He made a judgment for the saints of the Most High." that God will repay you. God will cast the Antichrist and his followers, who tormented and persecuted the saints, into the lake of fire that will never be quenched. In addition, to those who keep their faith and are faithful in the face of persecution, God will reward them with the crown of life, the crown of righteousness, and the shining crown. There is absolutely nothing free in God's work. Surely God will pay you back.
“The time came, and the saints received the kingdom.” The saints will then gain the kingdom. The saints will wear a shining crown in the eternal kingdom and rule as kings for ever and ever. Daniel saw this in vision.
Guys, what was the king called in the old days? It was called "Your Majesty" or "Your Majesty". Who will be called Your Majesty, or Your Majesty? It is us. Everyone here is precious like a king. Try calling the people next to you "Your Majesty" once. Let's not be discouraged even if there are hardships and persecutions on this earth for a little while while thinking about this glorious figure of us. I hope that we will all be victorious to the end by carrying the cross that the Lord has given us with joy.