Certainty in Uncertain Times
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Certainty
Certainty
One thing we as humans all seek is certainty. What is it? How do we get it? To be certain means to be sure, definite, fixed, proven to be true, inevitable, settled, incapable of failing. Certainty and faith go hand-in-hand. The more certain you are, the more faith you have... The more faith you have, the more certain you become. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum lies uncertainty. Uncertainty breeds fear, and fear feeds uncertainty. Uncertainty and fear also go hand-in-hand.
We find ourselves in unprecedented times. For a while there we were unsure as to who our next president would be. We were told who won the election, but there was a great deal of doubt that came in because of alleged malfeasance and corruption. Inconsistencies and irregularities that we witnessed with our own eyes! There seemed to be certainty on January 6 when congress finally certified the vote, but may were not convinced that it was over. Still today, there are millions that are convinced that the president-elect is illegitimate. Now there are rumors that this is not all over, and that in fact, there are plans in place to bring the new government to heel before it even takes office, plans to overturn the decision of Congress. I’m not here to convince you one way or the other, only to point out that there has been uncertainty brewing in our nation for the last three months! Uncertainty in the political realm breeds uncertainty in our day-to-day lives as well because so many presidential policies affect us directly or indirectly even more so in the midst of a global pandemic. We are living in the middle of troubled and uncertain times.
This morning, I want to cast off uncertainty and instead I want us to cling to the certainty of the Word of God! Four certainties to be exact, four certainties that come out of the Book of Daniel. I want to examine Daniel’s prophecy about the four beasts in Chapter 7, so please turn there with me as we read it together.
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts. Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. “And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’ “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.
One of the dangers to reading prophetic scripture is that we tend to imagine all kinds of meanings to the symbolism in it. In fact there are plenty of theological “opinions” out there regarding this particular passage, and if I tried to get into them, we’d be here for hours if not days. Instead, I just want to take a plain look at it from the perspective of the Bible. I’m going to try to use the Bible to interpret itself, and then I’m going to try to look at history and see if there is any correlation between the Bible text and what we know to have happened.
First, let’s set some context. Daniel’s vision in chapter 7 happens during the first year of Belshazzar, roughly 553 B.C., which is during the time of the Babylonian Empire. The fact that Daniel's vision occurred before the events that it describes helps steer us to our first “certainty”.
God’s Plan is Unfolding Exactly as He has Ordained It!
God’s Plan is Unfolding Exactly as He has Ordained It!
Even though we are living in the midst of troubled times, we hold fast to the certainty that God’s plan is still playing out exactly as He has ordained it. This is our first “certainty” to hang onto this morning.
The four beasts in Daniel’s dream correspond to the four kingdoms represented by the statue from Nebuchadnezzar's dream back in chapter 2. Keep your place in chapter 7 and turn to chapter 2 verses 31-35 with me.
“You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
I don’t like to spend a lot of time on eschatological topics, because most of it is just guesswork, and to be honest, doesn’t really contribute much to our behavior and growth as believers, but for our purposes today this could be interesting, and I promise it will help us learn something.
First we have the head of gold. in Chapter 7. To know what that head represents, we have only to look at Chapter 2 to know that the head of Gold represents King Nebuchadnezzar (and by extension the Babylonian kingdom) is the head of Gold. Now let’s go back to Chapter 7 and read the fourth verse again.
The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
This signified how God humbled King Nebuchadnezzar by making him insane in Chapter 4, then lifted him back up again. The first kingdom of the prophecy, represented by the first beast, is the Babylonian Empire. This part of the prophecy has been fulfilled.
The second beast is the bear, raised up on 1 side, with 3 ribs in its mouth. This is the “silver” kingdom, the silver chest and arms of the statue from chapter 2. The kingdom that followed the Babylonian Empire is the Medo-Persian Empire. Raised up on one side signifies that the Persians were more powerful than the Medes, though their alliance formed a single empire. The 3 ribs represent the three kingdoms that the Medo-Persians devoured – Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt. Daniel has another vision in chapter 8 about a ram and a goat. Let’s read 8:20 real quick...
The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia.
The ram (from ch 8), the bear (from ch 7), and the statue’s silver chest and arms (from ch 2) are all prophecies about the same kingdom. This second beast, and the second kingdom of the statue, is the Medo-Persian Empire. This part of the prophecy has been fulfilled.
The third beast is the leopard with 4 heads and 4 wings, which corresponds to the belly and thighs of bronze from the statue. Alexander the Great spread quickly over the face the land, and established the Greek Empire, replacing the Medes and Persians. After Alexander’s death, his empire was divided among his generals into 4 parts – Macedonia, Egypt, Syria, and Thrace – hence, the 4 heads of the leopard. Again, we can jump ahead to chapter 8:21-22 to get more a more detailed prophetic answer...
And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king. As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.
The Greek Empire is the 3rd kingdom. This part of the prophecy has been fulfilled.
Each of the prophecies from Daniel chapters 2, 7, and 8 occurred during the time of the Babylonian Empire. There is even more detail in some of the other chapters of Daniel that we won’t have a chance to look at today, but the actual historical events have matched the prophecies in every detail pertaining to these first 3 kingdoms. This fills us with certainty that every detail of God’s plan is unfolding exactly as He has already ordained it. God is in complete control. God is able to raise up kings and kingdoms and tear them down again. He is all-powerful and HIS plan is what will be accomplished. Should we become fearful about the uncertainty of the future? The enemy would like to make us fearful, but we know that absolutely NOTHING is uncertain from God’s vantage point, and He’s given us these prophecies to prove it.
Well that’s great pastor, but what does that prove? And how does that relate to me? Well the prophesies prove that God has a plan and that He is moving forward with that plan whether we choose to acknowledge it or not! But why would we not want to acknowledge God’s plan? Well simply put,
God’s plan is that troubles will increase as we get closer to the end.
God’s plan is that troubles will increase as we get closer to the end.
The fourth beast, and the legs and feet of the statue are more difficult to interpret fully, I think mainly because we’re currently living in that part of the prophecy today. Most theologians believe this represents the Roman Empire. The primary point here though, which is point number 2, is that it’s all part of God’s plan that troubles will increase as we get closer to the end.
This fourth beast is more dreadful and unsettling than any of the others before it. This is the dreadful and terrible, yet otherwise unnamed, beast from chapter 7. This beast corresponds with the legs of iron and the 10 horns plus the little horn corresponding with the feet of iron and clay from chapter 2. If we look at verses 15 and 28 from chapter 7, which form “bookends” around the interpretation of the vision of the fourth beast, we’ll see that even Daniel was shaken by what he saw.
“I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
“This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I kept the matter in my heart.”
He was especially troubled by the scene of the fourth beast. Of all the beasts, that is the one he asked specifically about.
“Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.
Of all the beasts, the fourth beast, I believe, represents the kingdom in which we are living today. As Daniel personally witnessed the first beast, and the coming of the second beast, we are witnesses to the times that belong to the fourth beast.
As much as I’d like to laugh about it or try to make it easier to swallow, There can be no doubt that we are living toward the end of the time of the fourth kingdom. I think that we are actually nearing the end of the last earthly kingdom according to biblical prophesy. Times have never been so troubled and uncertain. We have plenty of reasons for our hearts and spirits to be burdened and troubled, much in the same way as Daniel was when God revealed all of this to him. Make no mistake, this trouble and uncertainty will continue to increase, but God doesn’t want us to live in fear. He wants us to be certain. Certain of what? He wants us to be certain of His love , certain of His grace, certain of His mercy toward us. That is why He gave us guidance in His word. By all you must have all memorized my favorite passage of scripture:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Or what about?
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
Jesus Himself says in
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
But one of the most powerful admonitions from scripture has to be...
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There’s not doubt but that troubles will continue to increase as we near the end, but Jesus Himself has given His people, His Chruch, His bride peace and certainty. And our God has given us certainty in His very name.
He is Jehova-Shalom the LORD our peace.
He is Jehova-Jireh, the LORD our provider
He is Jehova-Rohi, the LORD our shepherd
He is Jehova-Shammah, the LORD who is there.
He is El-Roi, the Strong One who sees.
All power and dominion and authority are His forever and ever He is the Lord God, Adonai Elohim!
He is El Shaddai, and that reflects His almighty power and His willingness to supply perfectly from His inexhaustible resources… He is Sufficient, He is all I need, He is all you need, He is all our nation needs, He is all the world needs.
He has given us His covenant name Yahueh. His covenant is with US, His people!
Whom shall we fear? What shall we fear? I have certainty that God is completely in control, even when troubles increase because nothing can snatch me out of His hand. He is the Great I AM!!!!! GOD.... IS.... GOOD!
Well, that’s good for me and you, but that’s not it and the next part is truly terrible for...
God’s plan is to judge and punish the wicked!
God’s plan is to judge and punish the wicked!
The third thing we can know with certainty is that God will judge and punish the wicked. Let’s look at chapter 7 vs 9-11
“I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened. “I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame.
Now pop over to verse 26
‘But the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his dominion, To consume and destroy it forever.
This passage matches up with the stone smashing the feet of the statue in chapter 2
You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
This dreadful, terrifying fourth beast and his entire kingdom will be destroyed. Anyone who is not already part of the Kingdom of God will likewise be judged and cast into hell for an eternity of punishment. Some people may try and convince you that there is no such thing as hell, or that God is too loving and merciful to send anyone to an eternity of punishment. Those are all lies of Satan. Don’t be deceived. Final judgment and punishment is a certainty for those who have not surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. Grace and mercy is available, but ONLY through Jesus Christ.
Last night Lizzie asked me if I’d be coming to bed soon, I told her that I was on my second point out of three so I should be done fairly soon unless God gave me a fourth point. Well sure enough, there is one more thing of which you may be certain.
The fourth and final certainty that is found in this scripture is that...
It’s God’s plan to establish an eternal kingdom.
It’s God’s plan to establish an eternal kingdom.
“I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.
Now jump over to verse 27 with me.
Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’
Remember the stone from Chapter 2? The one that struck and destroyed the statue? the one that “became a great mountain and filled the whole earth”? This is a certainty. It’s God’s plan to establish an eternal kingdom through Jesus and fill it with those who love God and have surrendered their lives to Him.
Putting it all together
Putting it all together
These are certainly uncertain times we live in. My hope is that what we discussed today helps you become more certain.
God’s plan continues to unfold exactly the way He ordained it to happen. He hasn’t lost control. He’s omnipotent, and His purposes will be accomplished. THAT IS A CERTAINTY!
Troubles will undoubtedly continue as the end draws near. We are living toward the end of that fourth and final kingdom, after all. Even though it’s certain that troubles will increase, it’s also a certainty that Jesus has given us His peace, and we are not to face these crazy times with fear and uncertainty. Our Heavenly father will take care of us in these uncertain times. THAT IS A CERTAINTY!
And of course, the wicked will one day the dreaded and terrible judgement of the Ancient of Days, and the wrathful punishment that goes with it. But those of us who have heeded the call of Paul to the Romans have no need to worry. He says
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If that is you, and you have been reconciled to God, then you will inherit the eternal kingdom that will never pass away. We will get to see Him face-to-face. What a wonderful day that will be! And guess what? THAT IS ALSO A CERTAINTY!
Let’s pray...