Therefore Encourage One Another
Therefore Encourage One Another with These Words
Daniel 7
“Therefore encourage one another with these words.” These seven words have shaped my pastoral ministry. The history of God’s people is a long history of waiting in the midst of suffering, and just as Israel faced trials, every single one of us will face trials as well. A friend used to tell me that the world has three kinds of people: those going into a trial, those going through a trial, and those coming out of a trial.
Trials are normal for everyone, and trials are especially normal for Christians. Christians do not merely face trials because we live in a fallen world; we face trials because the enemy is actively working to discourage and destroy our faith. Satan is the father of lies and the accuser of the brethren. He is known as the prince of the power of the air who is at work in the sons of disobedience. He will bring pain, discouragement, and death to the brethren.
The title of today’s sermon is “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” Paul wrote those words to the early church, which was struggling with discouragement and fear as they saw more and more people die before Christ’s return. They were fearful, worried, and depressed about the constant attacks of the evil one. What did Paul tell them under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? He told them what was going to happen at the end. He told them to look forward to the day when Jesus Christ will return to make all things new and will call us to meet Him in the air where we will be with Him forever. Paul encourages them with the truth and reminds them to persevere in the hope of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” “These words” are the truth of what will happen at the end of days. “These words” are the hope of the gospel for believers, and this promise of future hope is the foundation that allows us to persevere in the midst of trials.
In Daniel 7, God gives an entire chapter of ‘these words’ to encourage weary saints in the midst of trials. God had given His people, Israel, to the Babylonians and sent them into exile. He disciplined them because of their sin. That discipline was necessary to root out idolatry and pride in His people. They were discouraged and depressed as they waited and waited and waited for the exile to end. But God reminded them again and again and again that, one day, He would tear down the kingdoms of this world and establish a kingdom that would never be shaken. God encouraged His people with the truth of what was going to happen. “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” If you are weary, discouraged, depressed, or hurting, I pray ‘these words’ will lift your eyes to the future and give you great hope and encouragement.
Daniel 7 begins the apocalyptic section of the book of Daniel. Chapters 7 to 12 are a series of four visions that God gave Daniel to encourage the exiles to hope in the future and remind them that God is sovereign and in complete control of history. Apocalyptic literature is ‘crisis’ literature written to God’s people as they faced intense, dire situations. Dr. Andrew Hill, a professor of Old Testament, notes that visionary literature in the Bible is usually associated with three messages:
A message of encouragement to the oppressed
A warning to the oppressor
A call to faith for those wavering between God’s truth and human ‘wisdom’
Apocalyptic literature must be read carefully, understanding the genre of literature and the context for which it was written. We must also read with great charity, as some of the symbols are ambiguous, and sound orthodox theologians may have different views on their meaning. When trying to discern the meaning, we have to understand the overarching point of the vision. In Daniel 7, that point is to encourage the Israelites to persevere in faith, recognizing that God is sovereign over history, and He will one day destroy every evil empire and establish an everlasting kingdom through the Son of Man.
God’s View of the World
We need spiritual eyes to discern spiritual things. What we see with our eyes is not the full picture. We are bound to time and space while God is free from time and space and knows what will happen in the future. Think of a line. We are at a fixed point on the line and can only look forward and backward. We can only remember what has happened to us and see what is currently happening to us. We cannot see what will happen to us. God is not on the line. He knows everything, and He gives Daniel a vision of what will come to pass.
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. Daniel 7:1
When God revealed the vision to Daniel, it was significant. Daniel had served Nebuchadnezzar for decades, and Nebuchadnezzar would confess faith in the Lord after he was humbled and then restored in Daniel 4. But when Nebuchadnezzar died, and his son (or one of his descendants) took the throne, he mocked God’s people. One can imagine Daniel feeling discouraged and wondering how long this exile would last? Then, at the turn of a new king, God reminds Daniel of the truth.
The vision in Daniel 7 is very similar to the dream in Daniel 2. Although there are distinct differences, the main point is the same. In Daniel 2, we find the main point after God had revealed the dream and its interpretation.
Daniel answered and said:
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him. Daniel 2:20–22
God is in total control. He is sovereign. As we dive into the details of this passage, do not miss the overarching point.
Daniel declared, “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 out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. Daniel 7:2–8
At first reading, the vision may seem confusing, but there is actually a lot of consensus on what each of these symbols mean. The four winds of heaven cover the entire earth: north, south, east, and west. This a comprehensive, thorough wind that is stirring up the great sea. In Scripture, the sea is a symbol for ‘chaos and disorder and hostility to God.’ It is unpredictable and destructive. The mention of the sea in this passage confirms that these four beasts are evil and set against God. Each of these beasts is not merely one type of animal, but they are hybrids or mutations of what was intended at Creation. Each of these beasts represents an earthly kingdom, which is a common occurrence, even in our modern world. The United States of America is symbolized by an eagle. Russia is symbolized by a bear, and England by a lion.
In Daniel 7, the first beast represents Babylon. Jeremiah and Ezekiel both refer to Babylon as a lion (Jer. 4:7; 50:17, 44) and an eagle (Jer. 48:40; Ezek 17:3). Daniel 7:4 alludes to the restoration of Nebuchadnezzar that occurred in Daniel 4. God punished Nebuchadnezzar by giving him the mind of an animal and causing him to grow long hair, which made him look like a bird before causing him to again “stand on two feet like a human being; and a human mind given to him.” Also, in the vision in Daniel 2, the golden head of the statue is clearly identified as Babylon.
It is important to note that the vision in Daniel 2 is more from a human perspective. In Daniel 2, the statue is made of different precious metals: gold, silver, bronze, and iron. In Daniel 7, Daniel sees ferocious mutations of wicked, dangerous beasts. This is an important reminder that the kingdoms of the world are set against God and His anointed. We must continually strive to see things from God’s perspective.
The second beast, described as a bear raised up on one side, represents the Medo-Persian empire. The description of being raised up on one side indicates that one side of the kingdom was stronger than the other, probably a reference to the strength of the Persian empire over the Medes. In fact, the Medo-Persian empire outpaced the size of Babylon, stretching all the way from Egypt to the Aegean Sea to the Indus River.
The third beast was like a leopard with four wings on its back and four heads and most likely represents Greece under the reign of Alexander the Great. He conquered the known world with the speed of a leopard, overthrowing and extending the Medo-Persian empire in ten short years. As legend has it, Alexander the Great wept when there were no more lands to conquer. At the end of his reign, the kingdom was split among his four generals: Ptolemy, Seleucus, Lysimachus, and Casander. Although some debate what the third beast represents, we can be confident it is Greece, especially since Greece is referenced three times later in the book of Daniel.
The fourth beast is described in much greater detail, intended to evoke terror and dread. Remember, we are reading Daniel’s description, but Daniel had seen this in a dream. He was attempting to paint a picture of just how terrifying this beast was. Listen to his description again.
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. Daniel 7:7–8
The fourth beast represents the Roman empire, which exceeded even the influence of Greece and ruled with a firm iron fist. The Roman empire would eventually be divided into ten kingdoms. The fourth kingdom is never named in the book, so we have to approach it with caution, but one of the reasons it is not named is that it most likely represents all the kingdoms of the earth that will rise up against the Son of Man.
The fourth beast is also unique in that it will have another horn, a little one, with the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things. Even though he is a little horn, he will make great boasts and work against the saints. Based on the angel's interpretation later in this chapter, and New Testament witnesses, most scholars identify the little horn as being the Antichrist or the Man of Lawlessness mentioned in 2 Thess. 2:3. He makes great boasts over and against the Lord and will lead people away from worshiping the Messiah to worship himself.
As the vision unfolded, Daniel would have had a sense of dread as he saw these beasts come out of the sea. They were terrifying in appearance and destructive in their actions. As Daniel shared the vision, the original readers would have felt a growing dread as well. But as we shall see, we have no need to fear. Even the little horn that wages war against the saints will one day face the judgment of God.
God’s Victory over the World
The vision continues not with dread but with hope. God is on the throne, and He will judge the earth.
“As I looked,
thrones were placed,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat;
his clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames;
its wheels were burning fire.
A stream of fire issued
and came out from before him;
a thousand thousands served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;
the court sat in judgment,
and the books were opened.
“I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. Daniel 7:9–12
What a contrast! The Ancient of Days, the eternal God, takes His seat. He is not frantic or overwhelmed. He is not hurried and stressed. He is seated on the throne. His clothing is white as snow, and the hair of His head is pure like wool meaning He is completely pure and holy. The Ancient of Days is perfectly holy and perfectly in control.
Fire, which is mentioned in verse 10, is another symbol of holiness. As Moses stood before the burning bush, the Lord said, “Moses! Moses! Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the palace on which you are standing is holy ground.” (Ex. 3:4-5). Fire is always a symbol of judgment indicating that God, like a refiner’s fire, will purify the earth of all evil. Daniel also sees a throne with wheels, symbolizing that God’s judgment is not limited to one place but will extend to the whole earth.
Then Daniel sees that a “thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.” In Daniel’s time, ten thousand was the largest number they knew. To Daniel and his audience, the scene was breathtaking. The holy God was seated on His throne with thousands of angels serving Him, a picture of complete control and power.
We go on to read, “The court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.” No one can avoid judgment. It is coming for each of us. Even those who appear to be in control and powerful now, will one day be judged and come to end. Babylon is no more, the reign of Alexander the Great has ended, the Roman empire is undone. No kingdom will stand against God. Even the Antichrist, who wages war against the saints and speaks with great words now, will be killed and destroyed. As the great hymn of the faith reminds us,
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.
“One little word shall fell him.” Even the greatest threats to us are nothing to our God.
Beloved, we will face many enemies, but none of them can stand against God. If God is for us, who can be against us? Do not fret or worry. God is on the throne. He will win the battle. Notice how he will win.
“I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And 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 one
that shall not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13–14
God will give us victory through one like the Son of Man coming from the clouds of heaven. At His trial prior to the crucifixion, the Lord Jesus stood before the council and declared that He was one like the Son of Man who would come from the clouds of heaven.,
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
Mark 14:61b–62
Jesus viewed himself as the Son of Man who would come and establish His kingdom forever, and the Jews who heard condemned Him to death because only the Messiah could make such a claim. Jesus was that Messiah, but when He stood before the council, He knew they wouldn’t understand. He knew He would be killed. He knew He would go to the cross and take the judgment of God for His people.
Friend, if you are not a follower of Jesus, please consider Daniel’s words. He is saying that every earthly kingdom and every person will face judgment. God is on the throne, and the books are opened. When your life is examined, how will the book read? It will read that you are a sinner and deserving of judgment. The reason you are a sinner is because of one man, Adam, who chose to disobey God. God told him, if you disobey, you will die. But Adam, the first son of man, disobeyed, bringing death and judgment into the world. God gave the first man dominion over the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. But because of his disobedience, dominion was given to the beast. This world was given to the evil one, the serpent, the beast that slithers in the dust of the ground.
But notice Daniel 7:14, which says of the one like the Son of Man coming from the clouds of heaven, “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 one that shall not be destroyed.” How is this possible? It’s possible because the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, was holy. It’s possible because when he died, He offered himself as a payment for sin, taking the penalty of God and paying for the sin of the sons of men. We know God accepted His sacrifice and raised Him from the dead and gave Him dominion. Verse 12 says, “As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away,” and given to the Son of Man. Jesus crushed the head of the serpent. He defeated the beast and was given a kingdom that would never be destroyed.
Friend, either you will side with the beasts of the field and be judged, or you will side with the Son of Man and be forgiven. Jesus lived and died and was raised from the dead so that you can be one of His people. All you have to do is confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and you will be saved. You can do that by repenting of our sins and trusting fully in His life, death, and resurrection as your only hope for salvation. I pray that you will hear this passage as a warning for your soul and an invitation to eternal life.
Beloved, how encouraging is it to know that God has been given dominion? The Lord is on His throne. We will experience trials and difficulty in this life, but God is on the throne. We do not have to fear. The kingdoms of this world will make great boasts, but they cannot stand against our God. “One little word shall fell him.” We must encourage one another with these words. Our God wins. Our God wins! OUR GOD WINS!
And if our God wins, we win! How comforting would this have been to the exiles in Babylon. How comforting is it for exiles today. Remember Daniel 7 was given to Daniel to encourage him and Israel to keep the faith. But Daniel is alarmed. He asks for an interpretation and is given a couple sentences in response.
“As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’ Daniel 7:15–18
Yes, enemies will rise up against the Lord, but His saints will receive the kingdom and possess it forever and ever. Do you see how encouraging this would have been for weary exiles?
Daniel 7 also encourages us with these words, so that we do not focus on the strength of our enemies but on the power of almighty God. It is a matter of emphasis. Are we going to highlight trials we face now or set our minds on what is to come? Remember Paul’s words in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Consider the end of the vision as Daniel seeks more information, but do not focus on the trouble that is coming. Focus instead on the victory that God will bring for us, and the judgment He will bring down on the wicked.
“Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.
“Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,
there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,
which shall be different from all the kingdoms,
and it shall devour the whole earth,
and trample it down, and break it to pieces.
As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,
and another shall arise after them;
he shall be different from the former ones,
and shall put down three kings.
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.
But the court shall sit in judgment,
and his dominion shall be taken away,
to be consumed and destroyed to the end.
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.’
“Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.” Daniel 7:19–28 (Emphasis added)
“Encourage one another with these words.” Beloved, sometimes it’s hard to hope in trials, especially when the darkness seems so great and overwhelming, This is why we need each other. This is why we need to encourage one another with these words. The evil in this world will be judged, and dominion will be given to the saints of the most high. Satan will have his day, but he will not last on that day when the skies are ripped open, and the Son of Man descends from the clouds of heaven. We are at war, but we know the outcome. We win, and we will be given an everlasting kingdom.
Daniel 7 was given to Daniel and to us to encourage us with how things will end. Before Daniel was thrown into the den of lions, before he faced the beasts, God gave him this vision to encourage and strengthen his resolve. Daniel was able to stand against the evil beasts because he knew the Lord had dominion. Beloved, you and I can stand against the evil beasts because dominion has been given to our God. Our God is seated on the throne. He is not worrying. He is not frantic. He is in control, and He will work all things for our good and His glory.
Daniel 7 is reminiscent of Psalm 73. The psalmist is overwhelmed with the evil in the world and even envies the prosperity of the wicker–until he remembers the end.
Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them as a garment.
Their eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find no fault in them.
And they say, “How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
For all the day long I have been stricken
and rebuked every morning.
If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.
Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.
Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works. Psalm 73
Beloved, it is good to be near to God and to make the Lord your refuge in the day of trouble. Do not fret; do not worry. Consider the end of the wicked and the glory of the saints and let your hearts rest in him. Jesus has been given dominion and He is coming back for us. “Therefore encourage one another with these words.”