Four Beasts and God

At first glance, the book of Daniel is both mysterious, and full of symbolism.  It can read like a book of riddles, leading to great confusion.

But God wants us to know His story, as He has purposed it.  God’s story takes us from the garden of Eden, to the plan of redemption, and ultimately, to glory. 

So a book like Daniel, which predicts world history hundreds of years before it unfolds, should deepen our trust in the Bible. 

Chapter 7 is one of the more intriguing sections of Scripture, and the first 14 verses will give us a compact history lesson, with God at the center.  He is going to show Daniel four great kingdoms to come, each more powerful than the one that before. We know that those kingdoms were Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and lastly, the Roman Empire.  Daniel knew the wickedness of Babylon, of course, as he was taken captive in the first assault they launched against Judah.   

By verse nine, we see an abrupt shift.  Suddenly, the “Ancient of Days” is introduced, as One who reigns forever.  Just when the story is getting somewhat frightening, God the Father inserts Himself into the narrative, as a reminder, that we are never alone.  The name He chooses for Himself, “Ancient of Days” blesses us, as God reminds us that He has always been with us.  We might think of this as “the name is the nature.”  How fitting, then, that God is the Ancient of Days.   

In verse ten, God’s throne is described as “a river of fire was flowing and coming out from before Him; thousands upon thousands were attending to Him, and myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; the court sat, and the books were opened.” 

In verse thirteen, God’s plan takes further shape, as the Son of Man, Jesus, is now presented.  The Scripture tells us that His kingdom is one which will never be destroyed.

Again, Daniel doesn’t know the names of the three world kingdoms to come after Babylon, but the vision he has been given presents them all as fierce, powerful and wicked. In comparison, Daniel probably felt small.

The force of evil in our world can seem overwhelming, too.  We can feel pretty small ourselves, as battles rage around us.  

This is where we want to shout to Daniel, “Wait!  It is going to be ok.  Each of those kingdoms was destroyed, in God’s timing.  He was always in control.”

So, does that mean God uses evil for His good purposes?  Yes, we see that  throughout Scripture, He does.  This is a hard truth, and we may not understand what God is doing, but that’s where our faith and trust are tested.  We know His ways are not our ways. 

We have the firm promises from God the Father, our Ancient of Days, and our glorious savior, the Son of Man, that they are not the least bit surprised by worldly kingdoms.  They are all part of the plan and purpose of God.

We probably give little thought to other Biblical kingdoms that were violent and wicked such as the Assyrians, Hittites, Jebusites, or Amorites, but the peoples they conquered thought about them, a lot.  Then, God destroyed each one of those kingdoms. 

God says He will one day wipe away every tear, and destroy evil forever, when Christ returns. 

Evil may abound for a season.  It will touch even God’s people, in this broken world.

But hold on.  Joy is coming.  It’s a promise.

~ Originally from New York, Gerry Lutzel has been a NC resident since 2017 and currently teaches in the women’s Bible study. She also serves at Guest Services on Sunday mornings.