Daniel 7:1-7
The Last Earthly King

Daniel is a book of both character and prophecy. Presently I would
like to emphasize the prophecies.

The prophecies we are looking at in Daniel prophecies are the end
time prophecies. We are living in the end times. That makes this book
very practical to us. Daniel gives us the first indication of what we
should be looking to happen. What Daniel gives us a broad stroke. The
remainder of the Bible fills in the details, but it is always good to
step back and to see the broad stroke.

In summary, last week from Daniel 2, we saw a dream revealed in which
God told Nebuchadnezzar that there would be only four earthly world-
wide kingdoms. The names of all four of them are not given in that
dream, but there is enough information that we can figure out who
they were to be. They were Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome.  All
four of these kingdoms are historic.  That is, they are the past.

What is of great importance to us was that the last empire, the Roman
Empire, was to still be standing when God sets up His kingdom, the
millennial reign. That was what the dream taught. That means that God
will revive that Roman empire. We call that the Revived Roman Empire.
I believe we are about to see that start happening very soon.

You cannot forget what we discussed last week about those kingdoms
but prophecy builds upon other prophecies.  Daniel chapter 7 needs to
be laid over Daniel chapter 2.  This chapter is talking about the
same 4 earthly worldwide kingdoms.  The difference is Daniel 2 talked
about kingdoms while Daniel 7 talks about kings.

Today, let’s add to our end time understanding by looking at the a
second vision.

I. This dream is about four beasts.
    A. The beasts are:
        1. \\#4\\ Lion
        2. \\#5\\ Bear
        3. \\#6\\ Leopard
        4. \\#7\\ Beast
    B. I must be as brief as possible so let me point you to Daniel’s
        interpretation of those four beasts.

Daniel 7:16  I came near unto one of them that
stood by, and asked him the truth of all this.
So he told me, and made me know the
interpretation of the things.
17  These great beasts, which are four, are four
kings, which shall arise out of the earth.

        1. The four beasts are the four kings that rule over the four
            world-wide kingdoms.
        2. Which kings?  I suspect the most important kings.
        3. The first vision was of kingdoms.  This vision is of their
            greatest kings.
        4. The kings of the first three kingdoms were important to
            their kingdoms.
            a. Nebuchadnezzar-Babylon
            b. Cyrus-Persian
            c. Alexander-Greece.
    C. While much of this vision was future to Daniel, it is not
        to us.
        1. To us, it is history.
        2. From that, we can conclude that is not where God wants
            our attention.
        3. God wants our attention directed to what has not happened
            yet.
        4. God wants us to notice one of the kings of the last
            kingdom.
            a. He is described in verse 8.
            b. His destruction and replacement is described in 9-10.
                (1) Like the vision of Daniel 2, the Destroyer and
                    Replacement for this fourth beast is a fifth
                    kingdom, God’s kingdom.
                    (a) God is "the Ancient of Days."
                    (b) God is the One whose garment is white (pure).
                    (c) God is the One with hair of pure wool.
                    (d) God is the One whose throne is a fiery flame.
                    (e) God is the One with wheels burning.
                    (f) God is the One who issues a fiery stream.
                    (g) God is the One with a thousand thousands
                         serving Him.
                    (h) God is the One who will open the books and
                         judge.
                (2) So this earthly king of the fourth and last
                     earthly kingdom will rule until Jesus deposes
                     him.
                (3) If you know anything about prophecy in the New
                     Testament you would know this king is the anti-
                     Christ, but since Daniel did not use that term,
                     we will simply call him THE EARTHLY LAST KING.
            c. There is no historic king that fits the description of
                the prophecy given here.
            d. And what is described will happen only once.
        5. I suggest to you that God wants our attention on this last
            ruler of the last the earthly kingdom.

II. The Last Earthly King
    A. Warning-We have one vision in this chapter but God gives us
        two interpretations of it.
        1. The beast is one of the four beast and we are told what
            that means in two different verses:

Dan 7:17  These great beasts, which are four,
are four kings, which shall arise out of the
earth.

Dan 7:23  Thus he said, The fourth beast shall
be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall
be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour
the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and
break it in pieces.

        2. How can the beast be both the king and the kingdom?
            a. Another contradiction?
            b. The kingdom takes on the character of the king.
            c. So we can learn about the Last Earthly King by
                studying what the Bible says about him (the horn) and
                his kingdom (the beast).

Dan 7:8  I considered the horns, and, behold,
there came up among them another little horn,
before whom there were three of the first
horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold,
in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man,
and a mouth speaking great things.

    B. He is powerful.
        1. He is called a horn.
            a. This is not talking an automobile horn but the horn
                on a strong animal.
            b. Such a horn makes an animal dangerous, even deadly.
            c. The beast had 10 horns, ten deadly sources of power,
                when it stepped onto the scene.
        2. How strong is he?

Dan 7:23  Thus he said, The fourth beast shall
be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall
be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour
the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and
break it in pieces.

            a. He will devour the whole earth.
                (1) That does not say he will rule over the whole
                     earth or even conquer the whole earth.
                (2) It says devour.
                (3) People have wondered what will happen to America
                     in end times.
                     (a) America is not mentioned in the Bible at
                          all, especially in prophecy.
                     (b) Why? Because America will be another of the
                          Last Earthly King’s conquests.
                     (c) Or worse, America will willingly join the
                          Last Earthly King in his kingdom.
            b. He is called "the beast."
                (1) The other kings are noted by specific animals.
                     (a) Nebuchadnezzar is called a lion because of
                          furious nature.  Until God put a new heart in
                          him, he destroyed mercilessly.
                     (b) Cyrus is called a bear because of his
                          strength.  He devoured many nations.
                     (c) Alexander is called a leopard with 4 wings
                          because he conquered the world with such
                          amazing speed, all before his 33 birthday.
                     (d) Remember the animals-lion, bear, leopard.
                (2) But the fourth one is just called a "beast."
                (3) Another book of the Bible refers to man as a
                     beast.
                     (a) It is the anti-Christ.

Re 13:1  And I stood upon the sand of the sea,
and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having
seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns
ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of
blasphemy.
2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a
leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a
bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion:
and the dragon gave him his power, and his
seat, and great authority.

                     (b) Notice the three animals to which he is
                          compared: leopard, bear, lion.
                     (c) \\#Rev 12:9\\ adds that he got his power
                          from the dragon who is the devil.
                (4) So the Last Earthly King will have all the
                     furiousness of Nebuchadnezzar, all of the
                     strength of Cyrus, and all of the speed of
                     Alexander, plus the devil’s own power!
            c. The Last Earthly King will be so powerful that the
                only One who can stop him will be God.

    C. He is very evil.

Dan 7:25  And he shall speak great words against
the most High, and shall wear out the saints of
the most High, and think to change times and
laws: and they shall be given into his hand
until a time and times and the dividing of time.

        1. He will speak wicked things against God.
        2. He will attack the believers.
            a. "Wear out"
            b. It means to consume, to spend, to waste, to enjoy
        3. He will attempt to change times and laws.
            a. Aborting babies.
            b. Kathy and listened to part of program on Friday where
                it was being advocated to kill children already born
                if they are found to be "defective."
            c. Children being given to the state.
            d. Marriage between two men or two women.
        4. And he will accomplish this things for 3 1/2 units of
            time.

Now, there is so much more that this chapter reveals, but here is
what you need to watch for:
    1. A revived Roman empire - A kingdom comes out of Europe that
        starts as a collection of nations or world zones.
    2. A king to take over that empire who is ruthless and fast and
        turns the world against God and the laws of nature itself.

If you think that cannot happen in a heartbeat, you are sheep and you
are going to the slaughter.

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