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Mark Finley: Daniel chapter seven reveals to us a God that predicted Babylon and Media-Persia and Greece and Rome, predicted a power that would rise in the medieval church, tradition would take the place of scripture.

Guest (Male): This is Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message: A study in the book of Daniel, week three, part four. Enjoy, and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with Hope Lives 365 and Pastor Mark by going to HopeLives365.com. And now, Pastor Mark.

Mark Finley: The Roman Empire is not overthrown by a fifth world-ruling power. How is it different? It has ten horns. Rome was divided into the ten divisions of Rome. The barbarian tribes came down from the north: the Alamanni, the Anglo-Saxons, the Franks, the Heruli, the Visigoths, the Ostrogoths. They carved up the empire. So Rome was not conquered by a fifth world-ruling empire, but rather the ten divisions of the Roman Empire took place.

We studied that. Then, as Daniel is looking at that, he sees a strange scene. He says in verse eight, "I was considering the horns." What do the horns represent? The divisions of the Roman Empire, the ten divisions. "And there was another little horn coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And there in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous things." In this one verse, we have five identifying characteristics of this little horn power.

Who is the little horn? First, it says, "I considered the horns." That's the divisions of the Roman Empire. So this little horn does not rise in the days of Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, or Rome. It rises when the Roman Empire is being divided. Rome ruled the world from 168 BC to 351 AD. It was divided from about 351 to 476. Sometime after that, right after that, another power would rise called the little horn. It would be little at first, but it would grow into power. So we know it has to rise sometime around 476, sometime around that area and shortly thereafter.

Notice it says, second characteristic, "I was considering the horns and there was another little horn coming up among them, among them." So it has to arise in Western Europe. It can't arise in Babylon. It can't arise in Media-Persia. It can't arise in Egypt. It can't arise in Asia. It can't arise in Africa. It can't arise in America. It has to arise some place here in Western Europe.

So we're looking for a power that would be small at first, not much of a world influence, but it would grow in its influence in the world. And this power would have to rise in Europe, and it would have to rise sometime after 476 AD. It says it would arise by plucking up three horns, or that is, three of these ten divisions would be destroyed by it. I'll come back to that.

Then it says, "there in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man." What is that talking about, eyes like the eyes of a man? What does that mean? Do you remember in the Bible what a prophet is called? What's a prophet called? A seer. Maybe we should look at that. I want you to turn to First Samuel, First Samuel, and you're going there to First Samuel chapter nine and verse nine. First Samuel chapter nine, verse nine.

And I'll read it for you: "Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he spoke thus: 'Come, let us go to the seer'; for he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer." So what's a prophet called? A seer. Why is a prophet called a seer? Because he sees with divine eyes. He sees with divine wisdom. So eyes represent, in the prophet, the very wisdom of God. We also see that in the book of Ephesians in the New Testament, chapter one, verse 18.

So a prophet sees with the eyes of God into the future. He has divine understanding. Here in Ephesians 1, verse 18: "the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of your calling." So the eyes of your understanding. So when we read about eyes in the Bible, we're reading about, if it's in a prophet, it's divine eyesight, seeing with the eyes of God, divine understanding.

But wait a minute. This power that's rising in Europe, this power that's rising after 476 AD, this power that's rising by destroying three, doesn't have the eyes of a prophet, but has the eyes of a man. So here's a system that has human wisdom, not divine wisdom. But we continue. It speaks pompous words. In other words, pompous words against God. It exalts itself above God.

Now to see this even further, let's go down and look here at Daniel chapter seven, verse 25. Daniel 7, verse 25: "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High." Wait a minute. "He shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and laws." So here is a power that rises and declares superiority to the very word of God, thinking to change the very law of God.

Here is a power that speaks pompous words. Do we have any idea about this power? Look, last part of verse 25: "for a time and times and half a time." Time, times, and half a time. What could that represent? Do we ever read anything about time, times, and half a time in any other place in the Bible?

So here's a power that rises in Europe, sometime after 476 AD, a power that is this little horn. The Bible says it's different than every other power that goes before it. It uses the word here, "diverse" than any other power before it in scripture. It talks about this little horn diverse. In other words, it's not only a political power as Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome, but it's a political-religious power.

So here's a political-religious power, according to Daniel 7, that rises sometime after 476 AD, that rises by destroying three other of these horns or powers that don't go along with its religious persuasion, a power that would think to change the very law of God, a power that speaks great words against the Most High. Can you think of any more pompous words than an attempt to change the very law of God, written with God's own finger on tables of stone?

But what about this time, times, and half a time? Do we read about that any other place in the Bible? We do. In the book of Revelation. And here's where we get our key. We go to Revelation chapter 12. Revelation, the 12th chapter. And as we go to Revelation chapter 12, the Bible speaks about this period of a time, times, and half a time. Revelation chapter 12, verse six: "And the woman fled into the wilderness." Now in the Bible, what does a woman represent?

It represents the church or the bride of Christ. In fact, if you go to the book of Ephesians, keep your finger here, you go to the book of Ephesians and we see this representation of a woman here. You go to the book of Ephesians and we're looking there at Ephesians chapter five, verse 25: "Husbands, love your wife as Christ loved the church, that he might sanctify it with the washing of his word." And so here, as the woman is the bride of the husband, so the church is the bride of Christ.

In fact, in Jeremiah 6, verse 2, it says, "I have likened the daughter of Zion," that's the church, "to a delicate and comely woman." So here, Revelation, the woman, the church, flees into the wilderness. Why? "Where she had a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and sixty days." What does that have to do with time, times, and half a time?

Well, go over here and look at Revelation chapter 12 and verse 13 and 14: "Now when the dragon," who's the dragon? Who's the dragon? Satan. "Saw that he had been cast to earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child." Who's the male child? Jesus. "But the woman," the church, "was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place where she is nourished for a time, times, and half a time from the presence of the serpent."

Notice in verse six, it says that the woman fled into the wilderness and was there for 1,260 days. In verse 14, it says that she was there a time, times, and half a time. Some translations will say a year, two years, and half a year. Now this is prophetic time, 1,260 days. What does that represent? In Bible prophecy, one prophetic day equals one literal year. So let's go back to Ezekiel chapter four, verse six.

We're going to the book of Ezekiel, the book of Ezekiel, chapter four, and we're looking down at verse six: "I have laid on you a day for a year." So the day-year principle is given to Ezekiel the prophet in this prophecy, and Ezekiel's a contemporary of Daniel. You remember the Israelites spied out the land for 40 days, and God made a prediction, a statement of fact, that they would go into the wilderness for 40 years.

In Bible prophecy, one prophetic day equals one literal year. So what does this mean? How do you relate Daniel and Revelation? 1,260 days would be 1,260 years. Sometime after 476 AD, a power would rise in Europe. It would arise by destroying three other powers that didn't go along with it religiously. It would reign for 1,260 years. Church and state would be united. And in the medieval church, the people of God would be persecuted. Do we find this happening in history?

Guest (Male): We'll be right back with Pastor Mark Finley. We thank you for listening and hope you're enjoying today's message. Our mission is to attractively present the Christ-centered biblical truths of scripture in a practical, relevant way to people around the world so that they may experience the abundant life that Christ offers and effectively share with confidence his life-changing truths with others. You can support this ministry and help us reach even more by going to HopeLives365.com/donate. And now, back to Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: Do we find this happening in history? By 538 AD, we find that Justinian, the pagan Roman emperor, by this time Constantine earlier had moved the capital, but Justinian, seeing his whole empire falling apart, gives civil authority to the leader of the church of Rome, Vigilius II. So let me explain that clearly. By now, 538 AD, Justinian, pagan Roman emperor, sees that his empire is gone. So he gives civil and religious authority to the leading religious figure in Europe at the time, in Rome, the Pope of Rome.

The medieval church reigns for 1,260 years. Why is 538 so significant? Because the last of the tribes that warred against Rome were destroyed. Rome destroyed with its armies three of these tribes: the Heruli, the Ostrogoths, and the Vandals, exactly like the Bible predicted. So what do we have? We have a power, a religious-political power that arose in Europe, out of Rome, sometime after 476 AD.

We have this power that would rise among the ten horns, among the ten divisions of Rome. This power would ultimately attempt to change the very law of God. This power as well would reign for 1,260 years. God would have his people during this time, protected many of them. Many of them, of course, were martyred, but many of them fled into the wilderness. And you know, there's a practical principle here that I'd like to share with you in Revelation chapter 12.

Notice what it says here: the church of God, the people of God during the time of the church-state union, during the time of the medieval church. Revelation 12, verse six: "The woman flees into the wilderness where she has a place prepared of God." You know, for every trial of life, there's a place prepared of God. For every time we feel oppressed, there's a place prepared of God. For every heartache and every difficulty, there's a place prepared by God for us.

And you know what it says over here in verse 14? "The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place where she's nourished for a time, times, and half a time." The church in the wilderness is absolutely nourished by God. They are drawn closer to God. They're persecuted, they're oppressed, they're crushed, they're knocked down, they're beaten, they're whipped, they're imprisoned, they're martyred, but in some miraculous way, the church of God and the truth of God survives.

I love the way James Russell Lowell put it: "Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne, yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown stands God keeping watch above his own." What joy it is to know that Christ protects us in our trials of life. His church has been persecuted down through the ages. We read of the persecution of the Waldenses in the Middle Ages, the persecution of the reformers in the Middle Ages. John Huss burned at the stake.

We find Luther and the reformers oppressed, imprisoned at times, but yet God protects his church, triumphs. What did Jesus say in Matthew chapter 16? What did Jesus say here in Matthew the 16th chapter? Jesus speaks and he says in Matthew 16, verse 18: "I say to you, Peter, you're this rock and I'm going to build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." What Jesus meant when he said, "Peter, you're the rock," he was saying, "Peter, the statement you've made is rock solid. I'm Christ."

"The statement you've made, Peter, is rock solid. I am the living Christ." The rock that the church was built upon is Jesus Christ, not weak, frail Peter, of course, because Peter, what happened to him? He denied his Lord at the crucifixion. But what does Jesus say? "I'll build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." The gates of hell will not prevail against the church of Christ. The church of Christ will triumph. The truth of Christ will triumph.

There's a mighty lesson from what we're studying tonight. First, there would be a power that would think to change the law of God, a power that would substitute tradition for the very word of God. Jesus says in John 14, verse 15, "If you love me, keep my commandments. If you love me, keep my commandments." Jesus invites us to be faithful to him. What does he say to you and me living on the knife edge of eternity? Proverbs chapter 23, verse 23.

What does Jesus say to a people living on the knife edge of eternity? He says to us, "Buy the truth and do not sell it, also wisdom and instruction and understanding." Jesus says buy the truth. Living in the age when the church and state union took place, in the medieval church when many were persecuted for their faith and burnt at the stake, Jesus said buy the truth, don't sell out cheap. And to you and me today in a secular, godless culture, Jesus says, do not sell out cheap, cling to the truth of my word.

Jesus says, "If you love me, keep my commandments." And notice what Jesus says here: "Buy the truth and do not sell it." In John 14 and verse six, Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Jesus is the way of salvation. There is no other way except Jesus. A church cannot save us. Priests and prelates cannot save us. A pope cannot save us. Jesus is our only savior. There's no other name under heaven whereby we might be saved except through Jesus. Jesus says, "I am the way." Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ.

Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth." But Jesus, the way, leads us to the truth. And where do we find that truth? John 17, verse 17: Jesus says, "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." The truth is in God's word. It's not in the traditions of men. It's not in the traditions of the church. It is embedded in God's word. If God said it, I believe it. Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth," and what? "The life." We find Jesus the way of salvation. We long to discover his truth so we can live his life.

How do we know what God's truth is? How do we know what God's truth is? Well, first, with an open heart, we come to the word of God and we say, "God, whatever you've said in your word, I want to do it. I don't want to accept the traditions of men. I don't want to accept changes to your word made by the little horn or the church, the medieval church. I can't accept those changes, Lord. I want to be faithful to you."

How do we know the truth of God's word? You know, in Isaiah chapter eight, there's a really an amazing passage that helps us to understand. Isaiah 8, verse 16: "Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. I will wait on the Lord." Seal the law among my disciples. Notice what it says in verse 20 of Isaiah 8: "To the law and to the testimony." That's the testimony of scripture. "If they speak not according to this word, there is no light in them."

Now I want to meditate on that verse with you: "To the law and to the testimony of the word, the testimony of Jesus Christ," because the word of God is the testimony of Jesus. Jesus said in John 5, verse 39, "The scriptures, they are they that testify of me." So the testimony of the word of God is a testimony of Christ. So in the word we find Christ as the way of salvation. In the word we find truth, and that leads us to be obedient to his law.

"To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word," what word? The testimony of Jesus. If they lead you away from the law of God, lead you to disobey the law of God, there is no light in them. Now notice the Bible doesn't say there's no truth in them, because the devil will mix truth and error all the time. It doesn't say there's no power in them because often the devil can inspire with power, apparent power, there can be false miracles as well as true miracles, there was in the Bible times.

The Bible doesn't say there's no love there because the devil can, he can counterfeit that. But what does it say? "To the law and to the testimony," the testimony of scripture. If they speak not according to the word of God and lead you away from the law of God, lead you to disobey the law of God, there is no light in them.

Daniel chapter seven reveals to us a God that predicted Babylon and Media-Persia and Greece and Rome, predicted a power that would rise in the medieval church, tradition would take the place of scripture, predicted though that God would nourish his people, God would hide his people in the wilderness, that they would maintain faithfulness to the word of God. And God revealed in Daniel that his people would ultimately triumph. He would nourish them in scripture, and as Jesus said, the gates of hell would not prevail against it.

And we come to the last days of earth's history. We come to the final judgment hour of earth's history, and we come opening our hearts to Christ and saying, "Jesus, I give my life to you today. All I want is to love you and serve you. And Jesus, if you've said, if you love me, keep my commandments, I want to follow you now and forever. Give me your grace and strength to live for you for all eternity."

Guest (Male): You've been listening to Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you've enjoyed today's message and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at HopeLives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to HopeLives365.com/donate. And now, a final prayer from Pastor Mark.

Mark Finley: Let's pray together. Father in heaven, thank you that the Bible reveals your word. Thank you that as we study prophecy, we can have confidence in your word. And thank you as well, Lord, that the Bible gives us light on the road ahead. There are challenging, troublous times coming, but just like you nurtured your church, nourished your people, sustained them in times of trouble in the past, you will do that for us. Thank you that you are a mighty deliverer. We open our hearts to you. Help us to be obedient to you through your grace. In Christ's name, amen.

Thank you for joining us for this power-packed presentation. We've got another prophecy next week, Daniel chapter eight. Another power-packed presentation that you will thrill to see the fulfillment of Bible prophecy and listen to a message to prepare for the coming of Jesus. Look forward to seeing you next week and remember, invite your friends. Now, we don't have a study guide for this week because we did Daniel 7 in two sessions, and the study guide was last week covering both. So God bless you, have a great week in Jesus' name.