The Ancient of Days - Part 1

Going tonight for the seventh chapter then uses some incredibly vivid and descriptive language to paint the picture of the tubal prophesied today on Turning Point. Dr. David Jeremiah shaves light on something helpful villages in the same chapter the book writing the piece and majesty ready for a study and listen as David introduces today's message ancient today we continue our movement through the book of Daniel and today we began the ninth verse and the seventh chapter and were talking about the ancient of days, which is a reference to the son of God, the living son of God and were going to see him appear in the midst of the very, very awful picture of the beasts of the world here comes the son of God, you know that Napoleon Bonaparte once said this Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I have found empires, but upon what did we rest the creation of our genius upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire on love and at this hour.

Millions of men would die for him.

That's a very true statement will meet that Jesus again today as we open our Bibles to the seventh chapter of the book of Daniel. This is the beginning of the ancient of days as we begin our study of the seventh chapter of the book of Daniel.

We traced through one of the most unusual settings you will find a place in the Scripture. Daniel's vision upon his bed of three grotesque beasts coming up out of the sea of men, one after the other. Each of them representing God's viewpoint of the nations and the kingdoms of the world we saw the line representing Babylon, followed by the bear with three ribs in its mouth representing Medo Persia followed by the leopard representing Greece and then the nondescript, not like any beast you ever saw in your life. Ferocious animal with iron teeth, representing the Roman Empire and its imperialism. All of those beasts were pictures as God sees the kingdoms of the world devouring and stamping out its prey. Daniel two is the picture that man has from the humanistic perspective of what man is able to accomplish.

It's the gigantic gold presentation of the kingdoms of this world shown with some sort of intrinsic value but Daniel seven is the true picture from God. God says that the nations of the world are like devouring beasts that come to attack one another and to devour one another, and as we study the succession of kingdoms from God's viewpoint. We can certainly identify with what we know is going on in our world today. We live in beastly times when nation is after nation and war is on every side of every day this week. Some new development around the world has demonstrated that the kingdoms of this world are fragile and that you cannot depend upon them.

Now all of a sudden, in the middle of Daniel's dream there's a change in scenery. I remember reading something by David L. Cooper in his studies in the book of Daniel, which illustrates what's happening semantically here.

He said that in order to understand this, you need to dream yourself. You need to consider that you're sitting in a dark room watching Daniel's vision on a motion picture screen and the screen is split, there's a top section in the bottom section of the film begins in the first part of chapter 7 in the lower half of the screen, revealing the lionlike beast coming up out of the water. There is a fadeout of this beast and in its place a bearlike beast moves ponderously destroying and devouring all it touches.

And then the bear fades out and the leopard like beast appears on the screen, and finally, before the viewer's eyes comes a terrible beast of unbelievable description. It is like nothing you've ever seen before and while the fourth beast is cavorting along the screen devouring and breaking in pieces, all the nations. The picture on the upper level of the screen suddenly comes alive and we see the ancient of days seated in the throne room of glory in heaven and on that screen divided in half. We see what's happening in heaven while we view the last gasps of the Roman Empire on earth now one of the problems in studying prophecy and one of the difficulties in interpreting passages like the one we have before us is that the Old Testament prophets looked at the future and oftentimes they saw the future converging together.

Sort of like being a long distance from a mountain range, and as you're driving toward the mountain range you look at it looks like there's one gigantic week out there in the future, but the closer you get, the more you begin to realize that something strange about that piquant as you get close enough you realize that it's not one peek at all, but it's too high because you're so far away from it. You can't determine the difference between what is you get close you see that there's a great valley between those two peaks, and as you come close.

You can see that they are separated by space. That's the way the Old Testament prophets looked at the future as they wrote Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, look to the future and they saw the coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, but they did not see that coming in its various aspects they saw only that he was coming coming to be born coming to rain and they did not know that there would be to separate advents of the Lord, separated by many years and so many of their prophecies seem to teach us that what happens at the second coming happened at the same time as the first coming and yet the Bible is very clear as we get to the New Testament, and we interpret the old not want to give you an illustration before we look at the details of this passage that will show you that in the Bible there is often in the Old Testament many years brought together in one section of Scripture which is later separated out for us in the New Testament. This problem of the great gaps in time between Old Testament prophecies and their fulfillment in the future, has caused a great deal of problem for Bible students. In fact, one of the current eschatological philosophies in terms of prophecy is that all of these events which were going to talk about are literally fulfilled in the church of Jesus Christ and the reason that some have come to that interpretation is because they see the Roman Empire going right up until the time of the birth of our Lord and he is born into the Roman Empire and they consider them that all of these future events that are prophesied took place after Christ was born chronologically and are fulfilled in the church of Jesus Christ and so those who interpret prophecy that way tell us that the church of Jesus Christ was the reason for the destruction of the Roman Empire that we as the church because the Roman Empire to fail course you read history, you know, it would be nice. Had we been that powerful. The only way you can understand prophecy in the Old Testament concerning the future events that will take place concerning the kingdom of Christ is to realize that there's a great period of time between the prophecy in one verse, and the prophecy in the next now were reading Isaiah chapter 61 the spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, now let me ask you question students that is a prophecy concerning Jesus Christ coming to this earth and the prophecy says that when he comes to this earth. He is going to do these things. He's going to preach good tidings. He's going to bind the broken hearted.

He's going to proclaim liberty to captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord now when did Jesus do that. He did it when he came the first time and he was born in Bethlehem those descriptive terms describe what Jesus did when he came in Bethlehem and was born and his first advent took place. Now read the rest of the second verse and it says and the day of vengeance of our God did that happen when Jesus was here the first time know that's what we associate all that with the second Advent. Don't wait.

We know that when he comes the second time it will be with a flaming sword to bring judgment upon the nation. Now let the Lord Jesus show you how to interpret that passage of Scripture go to Luke Luke chapter 4 and in the fourth chapter of Luke. We have our Lord's words will start reading of the 60 verse and he came to Nazareth.

Jesus came to Nazareth where he been brought up, and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he stood up to read and there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah, and when he opened the book, he found the place where it was written. Now the Lord is going to quote Isaiah 61 to get his divine interpretation on it all right this is what he says the spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, and he closed the book. Now go back Isaiah 61 Lord, you forgot part of verse two know he didn't forget it. You see, the Lord was using Isaiah 61 one and two, to describe his present earthly ministry and when he came to the part about that which he would do when he came the second time he stopped because it had nothing to do with his present earthly ministry is even the Lord realize that in the prophecies of Isaiah. There was a great period of time between his first advent, and his second. Now when you come to the chapter were studying your reading down through the seventh chapter and you come to verse seven of Daniel chapter 7 in your reading through the verse and you read about the Roman Empire and you read that the visa stamped the residue with its feet and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before and it had 10 horns, and you stop and you say no, wait a minute. The Roman Empire never had 10 horns. There's no evidence in history that there was ever a 10 part Roman Empire.

So between the last phrase of Daniel 77 and the phrase that goes before it. There's a mark and now were moving. As we moved to that last phrase clear head to those events which are going to take place when the Lord comes back. The second time is second Advent in all of this about the king and about the Antichrist about the Son of Man is removed from the first part of Daniel 77 by over 2000 all right. Are you with me.

We have jumped up to the top part of the screen now and were going to visit the throne room of heaven and the Scripture says that Daniel had a vision and that that vision was the picture of the ancient of days, do you know that this chapter is the only chapter in the Bible were the ancient of days is ever mentioned and it's mentioned three times here the ancient of days is not found any place else in the Bible it is in this chapter. Three times, and it is listen. Now this is the only verse and all of the Bible that pictures God the father in human form and he is not human, he's a spirit but Daniel in his dream is visualizing God as we would see God if we could understand what God looks like no man has ever seen God and live but we were visualizing in our mind. We have a mental picture and Daniel season, God the father as the ancient of days. The term literally means the elderly one.

The one who's been around forever. The one who never had a beginning and as he looks at him he sees him in his holiness and his eternity and his glory, and almost all of the major attributes of God the father are pictured in the scene that Daniel sees when he looks into heaven.

You have to understand the contrast here on the bottom part of the screen is turmoil enough people in chaos and beasts and all of these terrible things and on the top half of the screen is just a throne room of glory and the ancient of days, seated upon the throne and the Bible describes him first of all, in his eternity. He is the ancient of days. He is the source of time.

Psalm 90 verse two says before the mountains were brought forth, or ever. Their hats form the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God had a beginning, God never was born. He's been forever and forever. Isaiah 5715 describes God is the one who inhabits eternity.

He lives in eternity, like we live in our house and she's always lived there, and Psalm 29 Tim says that the Lord said if King for ever. We see his eternity as we look again we see his purity. Daniel said as I looked at him, his garments were as white as snow. The picture of absolute purity as God the father is seated in the throne room of glory Psalm 51 seven says purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean, wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Whenever we see the term in the Bible, white as snow. It always is a picture of absolute purity and Daniel sees God the father seated on the throne in his eternity, and in his purity but he goes on, and he describes the view that he has not only as an eternal God, and is a pure God, but he sees them in his Majesty he says and he did sit, the Scriptures literally say his throne was placed it was put in a position he is the sovereign judge of the universe. He is about to judge the world. Then we see him not only in his Majesty, but we see him in his authority. The Scripture says, his throne is like a fire, and his wheels burning fire literally means that on the throne upon which the ancient of days sat there were fiery wheels which most commentators believe is a picture of the fact that that throne could go anywhere in the universe to bring judgment where it needed to be brought. It was available wherever it was needed at a fiery stream issued from before it is a picture again of the judgment of God. For in all of the Bible. We continually are exposed to fire as a preparation for the judging God depicts God's presence.

Psalm 50 verse three says our God shall come, and shall not keep silence a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be tempestuous round about him. Psalm 97. Three says a fire goeth before him and burning up his enemies round about the picture of the fiery wheels in the fiery throne in the fiery stream from the throne is a picture of the judging and authority of God and then we see not only is authority in Daniel's vision, but we see his deity. The Bible says myriads and myriads are before him. Thousands of thousands of angels are ministering before him. This is not necessarily meant to be taken literally, it is just a reminder to us of the tremendous number of angelic bodies that are before him 1000 thousand equals a million and thousand thousands equals billions think of it, billions of angels before the throne of the ancient of days bowing down and worshiping him depicting his deity and his Godhead, for he alone is worthy to be worshiped along with his authority and his deity and now as God, he is about to open the books. The Scripture says the books were opened and judgment is about to begin. The court is about to convene the judges seated the written evidence is produced. For God has his books did you know God had a library's true notebook in his library. Let me suggest a couple I don't know all the books God has his library, but I know some of them. Moses knew about one of them for in Exodus 32 verse 32 Moses said, yet now if I will forgive their sin, and if not, block me, I pray thee out of thy book, which thou has written Moses knew God had a book and over and Psalm 56 eight.

I love this book that God has in some of you need to know about this because you're in it.

Psalm 56 eight reads this way about tallest my wanderings put thou my tears into thy bottle. Are they not written in thy book. Did you know that God keeps a record of your sorrows, he writes them all down the book and he keeps track of your tears and up on the library shelf in the library of heaven. God has a book called the tears of the Saints in anytime he wants to go to that book and find out when the last time it was that you cried and then we read over and Malachi chapter 3 in verse 16 about another book that God has in his library, a book of remembrance was written before him for them. But fear the Lord. Did you know that God keeps a record of everyone who holds God in reverence and skim a book of remembrance for those who feared God. Someone is said that in his library in heaven. God has a book of the Old Testament and the book of the New Testament and he has the book of the acts that you have performed and another book of all the words that you have spoken in the third book of all the thoughts that you thought. In fact, when we come to the book of Revelation. In the 20th chapter in the 12 verse we read that as God is now about to judge the dead, small and great, and they stand before him.

The books are opened. And another book is open which is the book of life and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. God is about to judge the nations of the world, the beastly nations of the world is going to open the books is going to read their activity is going to read about their blaspheming is going to read about their idolatry is going to bring babbling in Medo Persia and Greece and Rome before the Almighty tribunal and he's going to open the books and unfold for them. Their acts and their judge them guilty. It's no wonder that one commentator has written that despite all the various interpretations of this chapter and there are many. The chapter is proclaiming unambiguously that the most high is reigning in heaven and this is in opposition to his enemies who have considered that he is not in control but all the time.

They wonder about the controlling God. He is in control.

Just the same, for he is the sovereign God who rules and who reigns and I ask you again to picture in your mind's eye. The split screen turmoil on earth on the bottom half the nation's rising and falling the beast devouring each other and then in that same picture look to the top half of the screen and the ancient of days was seated in the throne room of glory in his opening the books and is in control now immediately at the end of this verse. There's another shift and in the next verse were back to earth again.

It's almost like God says to us all right now you looked at the top part of the screen long enough. I want you to take another look at the bottom part of the screen. Verses 11 and 12 in rapidfire description tells us that the beast was slain, and was the beast beast is the antichrist, he's risen up as a part of the fourth Dynasty and his body is consumed in the fire and of the dramatic turn of events that takes place now in the 11th verse is a picture of the sovereignty of our divine judge. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn or the antichrist spoke. I beheld even till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame.

The Bible says that the body of the Antichrist is destroyed that old devilish person is going to reign supreme over the earth for 3 1/2 years and then he's going to be violently destroyed by the supreme judge of all something really really wonderful about knowing how something is going how it all turns out. Right now were in the middle of it, but because were Christians and we believe the word of God.

We know that God is given us a blueprint for how this all turns out. In the book of Daniel is part of that blueprint. In fact, it's very specifically a part of telling us things we could not know if we did not study this and I'm so thankful that you joined us for the study. As we opened our Bibles together to the book of Daniel and learned from this ancient prophet about things to come. Thank you for joining is for more information on the Jeremiah series. The handwriting on the wall, please visit our website David Jeremiah.will/waiting we offer two free ways to help you stay connected monthly magazine tuning points and Dell daily email devotional sign up today at David Jeremiah/writing when you do, be sure to copy of David's helpful and encouraging houses to questions about living in the last in the amount so purchase the Jeremiah study English standard version, new international version as well as in the standard large print in the new King James with useful notes about the Jeremiah Jeremiah don't/radio titles join us tomorrow as we continue the handwriting on tuning David Jeremiah taking time to listen to the question