When you preach through Daniel, prepare to fuel your parishioners’ faith and faithfulness. The strange visions in Daniel do that. Especially the visions in chapter 7, one of the most important chapters in all the Bible.

I communicated the chapter along the following path (sometimes it helps me to see how someone else outlines a passage for preaching):

• a terrifying look at the kingdoms of this world (vv. 1-8, 15-17, 19-21, 23-25)
• a glorious look at God’s kingdom (vv. 9-14, 26)
• a hope-filled look at our future kingdom (vv. 18, 22, 27)

Don’t worry about the details in the visions you can’t explain (like, for instance, what does a beast look like that is “like a leopard, with four wings…” (v. 6). Be prepared to highlight these powerful, monstrous kingdoms of the world, how they treat each other and especially how they treat God’s people (vv. 21, 25).

In the middle of that succession of fearful monsters our faith is bolstered by seeing “the Ancient of Days” take His seat on the throne (v. 9), judge the beasts (vv. 11-12), and present “one like a son of man” with “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…” (vv. 13-14).

Finally, our faith and faithfulness are fueled when we learn a little-known doctrine: “saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever, and ever” (v. 18, 22, 27). We are going to rule with Christ forever! We live in a “present evil age” (Gal. 1:4) now, but one day…!

And all because, on the cross, our Savior died at the hands of one of those beastly superpowers, disarming the powers (Col. 2:14-15) so all who believe could enter the Kingdom of God. No wonder Jesus kept telling His disciples not to be afraid! I remember saying to our folks: “The last thing we need to worry about in this current political climate is losing our tax exempt status.”

Preach well for the sake of God’s glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

P.S. Note how this chapter functions for the Church by juxtaposing visions of the beasts with visions of the rule of God.