09 Judgment Day

Slides for this study

Last week we studied about the little horn. We saw the 10 identifying marks of the little horn and the Bible was clear in revealing to us who it was.

But we’re not done with Daniel 7. Even though the little horn would reign throughout the earth, God has good news for His people. But Daniel, upon seeing the vision, how does he react at first?

Daniel 7:15
“I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.

  • It wasn’t a good outlook that God gave to him.
  • He was troubled.
  • He was alarmed by the little horn and the power it would have and how it would persecute God’s people for so long.

But God proceeds to give Daniel a vision of hope.

Daniel 7:9-10
9 “I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; 10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.

Daniel is given a scene of a courtroom. It is judgment.

  • Someone is sitting on a throne. His name is the Ancient of Days.
  • Who typically sits on a throne? It is a king. And one of the works that he does is to judge.

We actually see judgment in Daniel 2 as well.

  • Remember the image?
  • There was Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and then Rome and the Rome + Church whom we know to be the Roman Catholic Church already.
  • But what happened after that?
  • A stone hit the image and destroyed it all! And we saw that as God’s kingdom coming and being established for ever and ever.
  • Well, in the Old Testament, they would stone people for dishonoring their parents, for committing adultery or murder. It was a form of judgment.
  • And now we see this court room and judgment taking place.
  • It parallel’s what we see in Daniel 2.
  • The stone actually represents judgment and also God’s kingdom!

But who is this Ancient of Days?

  • Psalms 90:1-2
    1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
  • This is God. But which God is this? Is it Jesus or is it the Father?
  • Daniel 7:13
    “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.
  • The Son of Man comes to the Ancient of Days.
  • Now we definitely know who the Son of Man is. That is Jesus.
  • So if Jesus is coming to the Ancient of Days, that only leaves the Father. The Ancient of Days must be the Father in heaven.

Coming back to verse 10. There is another group present apart from the Ancient of Days.

  • There are thousands of thousands and ten thousands of beings there. Who are they?
  • Revelation 5:11
    Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.
  • It is all the angels in heaven. They are all gathered around and interested in this work of judgment that is taking place.

I want you to notice something else from Daniel 7 regarding this judgment, courtroom scene.

  • Daniel 7:10
    The court was seated, and the books were opened.

There are books that God uses in His judgment. What are these books that were opened? What books do we know of in the Bible?

  • Malachi 3:16
    Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name.
  • This is a good book. It is those that fear God and think on His name.
  • But what does God want to remember in this good book?
  • Nehemiah 13:14
    Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for its services!
  • God is remembering and writing down all the good deeds of His saints.
  • So this first book is called the book of Remembrance.

What is the second book that God uses in judgment?

  • Revelation 20:12
    And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
  • Once again we see this mention of books, but this time in Revelation.
  • But now we see the second book. It is the book of life. And what is written in here?
  • Revelation 3:5
    He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
  • It is just simply our names.
  • But notice what this text states though. Our names can be written in the book of life, but our names can also be blotted out of the book of life as well – they can be erased from there.

So the book of remembrance and the book of life are good books.

  • The book of life contains our names.
  • And the book of remembrance of good deeds contains all the good things that we have done.

But there is one more book. What is it?

  • Isaiah 65:6-7
    6 “Behold, it is written before Me: I will not keep silence, but will repay— even repay into their bosom— 7 Your iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers together,” says the LORD, “Who have burned incense on the mountains and blasphemed Me on the hills; therefore I will measure their former work into their bosom.”
  • It doesn’t mention a book here. But the Bible tells us that our iniquities, our sins, are written before God.
  • Jeremiah 17:1
    “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with the point of a diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of your altars.
  • Our sins are written in a book of well.
  • So we shall simply call this the book of sin.

And look, there may be more books than this when we get to heaven. Or maybe the book of life and book of remembrance of good deeds might all be in one book. Or maybe they are called different names. But at least we know that our names are in the book of life and our good deeds are written down. And there is another book that contains our sins.

  • But one important aspect to note. If you name is in the book of life, your good deeds will be written in the book of remembrance, and your sins will have been blotted out of the book of sin.
  • But if our sins are written in the book of sin, then we won’t be found in the book of life or remembrance.
  • We can’t be in all the books at the same time.

But now, coming back to this judgment scene in Daniel 7. We keep reading.

  • Daniel 7:13-14
    13 “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then 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 the one which shall not be destroyed.
  • The Son of Man is Jesus.
  • And He is coming to the Father. But what for?
  • In verse 14 it says that He was given dominion, glory and a kingdom.

So far in Daniel 2 and Daniel 7, we have seen earthly kingdoms rule the world.

  • But now we see a new king being crowned.
  • This is the picture of Jesus being given the crown, the keys to the next kingdom from God the Father.
  • Remember in Daniel 2, the last kingdom is the kingdom of iron and clay.
  • The last kingdom in Daniel 7 is the little horn.
  • So if Christ is being given the kingdom, then the little horn kingdom is about to pass away.
  • That’s good news!

Remember we saw Daniel was troubled at the beginning of our study. That was Daniel 7:15

  • Daniel 7:15
    “I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
  • Why is he troubled?
  • Daniel 7:21
    “I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them,
  • However, that is not going to last forever. Let’s read this next verse which is so important.
  • Daniel 7:22
    until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.
  • So the little horn is persecuting the saints, making war against them. He is winning.
  • UNTIL!
  • Until the Ancient of Days comes.
  • And what happens?
  • Judgment is made in favor of the saints.
  • The ruling will be made against the little horn and for God’s people.

Then from Daniel 7:23-25 it is interpreting all the wickedness of the little horn and what it will do on the earth and against the saints. But then the conclusion is given again.

  • Daniel 7:26-27
    26 ‘But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. 27 Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’
  • The court is going to be seated.
  • Judgment is going to take place.
  • The whole world is going to be judged!
  • The little horn is not going to rule forever.
  • Things will be bad. It will be bad for 1,260 years, BUT it’s not going to last forever.
  • And today, that’s history for us.
  • But let me tell you, to those that were facing this great crisis and going through this great persecution, it was a comfort to know that God would stand up as judge on the earth one day and vindicate His people.

Interestingly enough, the name Daniel itself means “God is my judge.”

  • We see that in Daniel 1 – God judges Daniel and his three friends. They pass the test and God gives them 10 times more wisdom than anyone else out there. Daniel is called to the role of a prophet.
  • In Daniel 2 – God judges the wise men of Babylon and shows their inability to tell the king his dream.
  • Daniel 3 – God judges the 3 Hebrew boys. He tests their faithfulness to God.
  • Daniel 4 – God judges Nebuchadnezzar and makes him crazy for 7 years.
  • Daniel 5 – God judges Babylon and finally it falls and Darius comes in as the next king.
  • Daniel 6 – God judges Daniel and his faithfulness. But in the end He judges those wicked men who put that law in place to catch Daniel.
  • And now in Daniel 7 we see that God will one day judge the whole world, but in particular, the little horn power.

There is one important detail about judgment that the Bible tells us.

  • Acts 17:30-31
    30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
  • The Bible tells us that God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world.
  • The question is this. When is that day? When does judgment actually take place?
  • Is it at the second coming of Christ?
  • It is after the second coming?
  • Just before the second coming?

Before answering this though, let me show you the sequence of events that Daniel 7 outlines regarding judgment.

Please open your Bibles to Daniel 7 so that you can see this outline as I show it on the slides here. You can see it in the booklet as well on page 6.

  1. Daniel 7:8-10 – Judgment begins while the little horn is still at work.
    1. The little horn appears in verse 8, and then right after that the judgment scene comes up.
  2. Daniel 7:13-14 – Judgment gives the kingdom to Christ.
  3. Daniel 7:22 – Judgment is ruled in favour of the saints.
  4. Daniel 7:26 – The judgment takes the kingdom from the little horn.
  5. Daniel 7:27 – Judgment awards the kingdom to the saints.

When is the award of the kingdom given to the saints?

  • Matthew 25:31, 34
    31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

    • This is the second coming.
  • Revelation 22:12
    “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

    • Once again, speaking of the second coming.
  • At the second coming, Jesus is coming with His reward already.
  • But you cannot give a reward until you have determined who deserves to receive that reward.
  • So the judgment must take place BEFORE the second coming. Which means, the judgment must take place while the little horn kingdom is still ruling. While men and women are still walking this sin-sick world.

Let me show you other prophecies that show that judgment must take place before the second coming.

  • Revelation 14:6-7
    6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
  • This angel flying through the heavens is still preaching the gospel to everyone out there.
  • But notice in that announcement it says that “the hour of His judgment has come.” The judgment is in progress already.
  • And look at what we read later in that chapter. What event comes after that?
  • Revelation 14:14-16
    14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
  • This is the second coming!
  • So very clearly the judgment must begin before the second coming of Christ.

Notice that there are actually 3 phases of judgment.

  1. The first phase is what we see here in Daniel 7, before Christ comes and before the saints take possession of the kingdom.
    1. This is what we call the investigative judgment. It is the gathering of all the facts. Everything that is good and bad is written down.
    2. Ecclesiastes 12:14
      For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.
  2. The second phase is during the 1,000 years of Revelation 20, after Christ comes. It is called the Millennial judgment
    1. Revelation 20:4
      And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
  3. And finally at the end of the thousand years when all the evil and wicked will be destroyed, there will be the carrying out of all the previous judgment. This is called the executive judgment.
    1. Revelation 20:14-15
      14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

But why must judgment begin before Jesus comes for a second time?

  • Daniel 12:1-2
    1 “At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.
  • It must be determined before that time who deserves to receive the reward. Who deserves to be resurrected to eternal
  • The judgment must determine who has right to enter into Jesus’ kingdom.
  • So if rewards are to be given WHEN Jesus comes, a judgment must take place BEFORE He comes.

The question we must then ask ourselves is:

  • Will it be well for you and me in the judgment?
  • How can we have confidence in this time of judgment?
  • What determines our fitness for a place in Christ’s kingdom?

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

  • We have to believe.
  • We have to have faith in God’s word and in His Son who came to die for each of us.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

  • We have to confess our sins. The sins that Jesus died for.
  • We must be willing to give them up.

Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

  • We have to stop walking in the flesh, in the sins of our old life.
  • We need to walk according to the Spirit, to have a life guided by God and His word. But it is the Spirit of God that will help us to walk in that manner.
  • But walk in what way?

Revelation 14:12
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

  • We need to ask God to give us the faith of Jesus. We saw that in the believe just a few verses before.
  • But that faith is manifested in the obedience of all of God’s commandments.

Revelation 3:5
He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

  • God wants us to be overcomers.
  • Overcome what? Our sin, our disobedience against God’s law of 10 commandments.
  • And if we do, through the power of the Holy Spirit, God says that He won’t blot out our names out of the book of life.

Imperfect as we see ourselves today, God desires to cleanse us and make us whole in Him. But we have to be willing. We have to be willing to surrender. To stop fighting and rebelling against Him. Willing to give up our desires, our pre-conceived ideas of what we think is right. To take Him at His word.

Is that your desire today? Let’s pray then.

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