Daniel 7

Daniel 7:13-14, 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. 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.

Here comes Jesus but so very unlike the first coming which we call Christmas!  He came the first time as a sacrifice – as a Lamb – and was found without flaw and thus used by God as the recipient of His wrath toward men who ignored, mocked, rebelled, and attacked Him.

Today, Jesus is seated at God’s right hand awaiting the “Go” to return to earth.  That heavenly event when Jesus is sent is revealed to the prophet Daniel.  Jesus stands before the Father and is given the charge to take physical, literal control of all nations as the King of all.

He comes the second time on a white horse (Revelations 19) with the clouds of Heaven, which is Heaven’s army (Psalm 68:17 and Exodus 40:34).  He returns to end the occupation of Satan and the rule of evil.  He comes as a Lion to deal with the evil and reign in righteousness.

Why is this coming talked about by Daniel not at the very end of time followed immediately by the purging of the earth and recreation to a new heaven and earth?  Why?  For it says that Jesus’ kingdom will be over all peoples, nations and languages!

While the eternal kingdom on earth will surely be over all peoples, it is very, very doubtful there will be nations.  A nation is marked by man’s laws, boundaries, heritage, often language, and special values.  In Jesus’ eternal kingdom, those will have no place.  Furthermore, nations are by their very nature, divisive.  Such will have no place in His eternal kingdom on earth.

But the fact that Jesus is given rule over languages certainly makes this different than the eternal kingdom, for languages are due to sin.  Genesis 11:6-9 notes that people were refusing to obey God, so God scattered them by confusing their languages.  God marked Israel’s enemies as having different tongues (that is why the multitudes rushed to the temple on the Pentecost after Jesus’ ascension as foreign tongues marked a judgment by God, Acts 2).  Consider these verses:

Deuteronomy 28:49, The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand.

Isaiah 33:19-20, You will not see a fierce people, a people of obscure speech, beyond perception, of a stammering tongue that you cannot understand.  Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet home.

Zechariah 8:23, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: “In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve (robe) of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”

For our Christian friends that don’t believe in the millennial reign (a visible 1,000 year reign of Jesus on the earth which is yet coming) but rather a purging of the planet at His second coming and moving into the eternal kingdom; I ask, are there languages and nations in that eternal world?  I think not!  Thus this has to be a prophecy about His coming to establish a visible millennial reign over nations and languages that then moves into His eternal kingdom on earth.  Jesus is returning to bring about a “Sabbath rest” on the earth and then purge and create the earth new for His glorious eternal reign – after the 1,000 year reign.  The Son of Man comes on order from the Ancient of Days – best be ready and be passionate about others being ready!