DANIEL'S VISION in Chapter 7

In the first year of the reign of Belshazzar, son of Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel had a dream in which he saw four beasts. As the dream was interpreted to him, those four beasts represented four kingdoms that would rule the earth, with the last one being different from all the others.... Scholars have dissected Daniel's prophecies far better than I ever could, so all I will say is: God foretold what would be in the future - and what I love most is that the 'end of the story' is foretold. In the end, God and His saints win!

Unfortunately before that victory, there's gonna be trouble.... The song about River City wends its way through my mind.... In Daniel 7 there is a graphic description of what the world dominion at the end of time will be. Out of the 10 nation alliance that begins this final kingdom, a little horn will come up. It will make war with the saints - and prevail over them for a specified period of time. This 'little horn' is conspicuously the antichrist, and Daniel 7:25 states, He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times and half a time.

In my growing-up years, when I attended prophecy meetings with my dad, that was always described to be the 3 1/2 years of the worst part of the Great Tribulation. It will be a terrifying time for those saints who are here. But - there are people living right now who face equal terror and danger for standing firm in their faith.

Our solace is the end of the story: verse 26 tells us his dominion shall be taken away to be consumed and destroyed to the end. And then the really good news in verse 27:

And the kingdom and the dominion

and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven

shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;

his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,

and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’

Over and over the Bible declares that in the end God wins over Satan! Our glorious hope is that of being together with the Lord for all of eternity - but in the meantime, our eternity begins here, the moment we place our trust in Him.

How does that affect me today? It makes me poignantly aware that my focus has to be aligned with His: What God cares about is Truth, and the souls of man. He is Truth. When we stand for what He stands for, we are standing for something worth dying for.... Ultimately that is truly living.

There was a country song that stated, 'You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.' It's true. We cannot base our views, our standards or our actions on feelings. We have to have a plumb line - - and the Bible is the only reliable source for finding that ballast in our lives.

Many years ago a pastor I highly respect stated, "True Wisdom is holding fast to a durable value system." I liked the quote so well, I wrote it down and for years had it tacked to the wall in my office. A durable value system cannot be dictated by the world's view - it must be God's! And God's views are made known to us through His Word, the Bible and through the power of the Holy Spirit unveiling God's Truth to our eyes.

(Daniel 7 references cited are from the ESV.)