DANIEL 7:15-28 THE REALITY OF TRUE FAITH

Written by , Rector of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia
 

¹⁵ “I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. ¹⁶ I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this.
“So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: ¹⁷ ‘The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth. ¹⁸ But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’
¹⁹ “Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. ²⁰ I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. ²¹ As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, ²² until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.
²³ “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. ²⁴ The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. ²⁵ He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.
²⁶ “ ‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. ²⁷ Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’
²⁸ “This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”

The “fourth kingdom” will be the world’s last attempt to usurp the sovereignty of God. The powers of wickedness will be brought together and one will arise from their midst to attempt to eliminate the faithful remnant from the earth. Although as a consequence of the wickedness of the world this “king” shall appear to prevail, God will ultimately intervene and vanquish even him. With the final elimination of evil and sin, the everlasting kingdom will live on forever.

Like Daniel we should take this scenario seriously and be troubled. We too soon jump from where we are now to where God promises us we can be eternally. We may have faith in God and his promises, but he warns us of the terribly difficult times that we will have to face in this fallen and sin-filled world, so that we will not be overtaken unaware.

If you were to take a journey on foot, you would want to know all the obstacles that lay between you and your destination. Otherwise, after walking for several days you might encounter a swamp and be forced to turn back because you were unprepared. There is encouragement in knowing that your arrival is assured if you keep to the path. The problem comes when we are surprised to find out that it is not a walk in the park but a struggle through an endurance trail. Our surprise feeds our doubt and our doubt is the greatest weapon against our faith. We need to take the trouble to be troubled by the obstacles and struggles that lie ahead so we will not be diverted from the path.

As you guide me Father, let not my weak faith blind and deafen me to the warnings of the dangers and trials along the path. Help me to take seriously my need for you to deliver me through the fires and storms if I am to persevere and realize the glorious promises you have given. Replace my naïve enthusiasm with a realistic faith. Amen.

Attachment	Size
DANIEL_7_15-28.pdf	72.93 KB