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You can turn in your Bibles with me to the book of Daniel, Daniel chapter 7. This morning we looked at Daniel 3. We saw there one like the Son of God in the midst of the burning fiery furnace with the three friends, noting of course that that is a pre-incarnate Christ. strengthening his people and ultimately giving us a picture of redemption there in that furnace of Babylon. The Son of God himself being the one who bears the flames, who bears the fire in the stead of his people. There we saw one like a son of God. Here in Daniel 7, we see one like the Son of Man, that same Christ.

This time with emphasis on his assumed humanity, and with emphasis upon Him as the mediator, the Messiah, who would come in the fullness of the times to set up a kingdom that will endure forever. Daniel 7, I'm going to read from verse 1 to verse 14, and our specific focus will be on verses 13 and 14. Daniel 7, beginning at verse 1, the Word of God.

In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts. Daniel spoke, saying, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion and had eagle's wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off and it was lifted up from the earth. and made to stand on two feet like a man.

And a man's heart was given to it. And suddenly another beast, a second like a bear, it was raised up on one side and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it, arise, devour much flesh. After this I looked, and there was another like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this, I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth. It was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet.

It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had 10 horns. I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words. 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. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him. A thousand thousands ministered to him, 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him.

The court was seated and the books were opened. I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking. I watched till the beast was slain and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. 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. Amen. Well, let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time now in worship, the preaching of your word. We do pray that you bless this time, that you may be honored and hallowed in this place through this act of worship. We pray that we would know your truth, that by your spirit you would impress upon us the weightiness of your truth and this testimony to the Son of God, to the Son of Man, that one who is very God and very man, yet one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. in the truth, the fact that chapter after chapter, page after page, your word points to that Christ upon the cross, giving up his life for the salvation of man. We pray that we would see Christ here, that we would rejoice in the Savior, and that you would strengthen your saints and save sinners through the proclamation of truth. And we pray in Christ's name, amen.

When we think of some vital Old Testament passages that serve to inform the New Testament revelation of the person and work of Christ, there's probably a lot of passages that come to mind. Psalm 2, Psalm 110, Isaiah 9-6, the Servant Songs of Isaiah, 42, 49, 50. 53.

One of the texts that ought to come to mind as well is Daniel chapter 7, the language of which and the theme of which is taken up by Christ himself in his earthly ministry. He refers to the language of Daniel as one of the favorite titles of himself, the Son of Man. We see that language being brought forth here in Daniel and of course because it speaks of Christ, Christ, in his earthly ministry applies it to himself, and we'll see some of those passages as we move along. One of the things that we want to note here thematically in stating that Daniel 7 is about Christ is that Daniel 7 is Genesis 1 restored after Genesis 3. In Genesis 1 restored after Genesis 3, remember that in Genesis 1 and in the creation account prior to the fall, Dominion is given to Adam in the garden. He is charged with expanding the garden expanse, the temple truly, to the uttermost corners of the earth.

He fails in his task and in his mission, and so dominion is lost. And it is redemptively and blessedly given to the second Adam. Dominion is given to the one who would come and perfect obedience, unlike the first Adam, who failed in his obedience, the second or last Adam, Jesus Christ, comes into time and in history and perfects obedience and therefore to him is given what Adam lost and what Adam failed to gain, dominion, people, and a kingdom. And so it's a wonderful presentation in Daniel 7 of what the Bible everywhere anticipates, that the hero born of woman who would crush the serpent with his heel is that second Adam, would be that second or last Adam who would redeem his people from their sins and set up and inaugurate a kingdom which would not fade away.

So we want to look at this passage under Four simple heads. First, the one who receives the kingdom. Secondly, the one who grants the kingdom. Thirdly, the kingdom that is conferred. And then lastly, and fourthly, the unshakable confidence for kingdom citizens. The first thing we see here is the one who receives the kingdom.

Notice in verse 13, I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man. It's an interesting thing that we ought to note by side observation here, is that Daniel is attentive when presented with divine revelation. One of the things that can sometimes mark the people of God is this sort of lax or cold or this languor with divine things. We can be taken up by so many things in a given week. We can be weighed down by the troubles of the world sometimes. Things can affect us. Things can afflict us. Things can trouble us. But it always ought to be the case that when we come into the house of God, and when we're confronted wholesomely with the triune God of heaven and earth, that we are attentive.

David, notice, was watching in the night visions. He was attentive. When the word of God is proclaimed, it being, remember, exalted infinitely above a presentation of your favorite Skittles color, It is very important. It is glorious. It is of the weightiest character. And when it comes to us, even through fallible preachers, cracked pots, entrusted with the glory of gospel treasure, we ought to be attentive.

We ought to be watching. in the night visions, and so the first thing that we see is the one who receives the kingdom. I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man. It's interesting language here, one like the Son of Man. Why not just say, I was watching in the night visions, and behold, the Son of Man.

Well, there's probably a number of reasons for that. This is a reference to Christ. There's probably a number of reasons for the like the Son of Man. Firstly, it could simply be in accord with the visionary nature of this divine revelation. One like the Son of Man. There's lots of imagery here. These four beasts coming out of the sea with these heads and these horns and these thrones and these wheels. and these fiery streams, lots of visionary information, lots of visionary things going on in the night visions. And so one, like the Son of Man, appears.

The visionary nature of this particular episode could speak to the fact, or speak to why, we see here like the Son of Man. This could be due to the fact that the Son of God had not yet assumed man's nature, of course, that would happen in 590 years approximately. So it could be that he appeared in this vision in the semblance of a man, of course, because he is not yet incarnate. Could also see in this language of like, the language is simply employed to actually highlight the truth or the reality of the simple thing.

In John 1.14 we have similar language where this same word or this same concept of like is utilized.

Remember John 1.1, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.

John 1.14, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth. And so It is simply the communication, or could be just the communication employed here to highlight the very reality of the thing, that this is the Son of Man. Or it could speak to the preeminence of the Messiah, and I think we could lean in this direction as being more than just a mere man.

We are all sons of men, the sons and daughters of men. We are all the son of man to a particular degree. We're the descendants of Adam, each and every one of us. And while Christ is a descendant of Adam, He is more than that. He is very God of very God. Light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father, from whom all things were made.

And so we have this reality that yes, he bears humanity, but he is more than just a man. This son of man language, as we noted, is one of the favorite titles, one of the favorite self-identifiers of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. It's a messianic title that Christ very frequently uses of himself.

Matthew 8 verse 20, foxes have their holes and the birds of the air have their nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. Matthew 9, 6, but that you may know that the son of man has power on earth to forgive sins. He says to the paralytic, arise, take up your bed and go to your house. Matthew 12, 8. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath, Matthew 12, 40. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 20, 28. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. There are three in particular, though, that I want you to turn with me to. And the first one is in Matthew 24, verse 30.

The Lord Jesus Christ knew, according to His assumed humanity, by learning of Himself in the Scriptures, that He was the Danielic Son of Man. And we see here in Matthew 24, 30, in the Olivet Discourse, He is utilizing Daniel 7 in order to argue for the fulfillment of that passage in the judgment wrought via the Roman armies by God against apostate Jerusalem. In verse 30 of Matthew 24, then the sign of the Son of Man in heaven will appear, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Christ is referring to Daniel 7, 13 and 14 and arguing for that the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70 is a punctuated declaration that the one that they crucified is the Danielic son of man who would receive glory, dominion and a kingdom upon the heels of his messianic work.

Notice as well in Matthew 26 at verse 64. Matthew 26 and verse 64. It's a wonderful passage here. Jesus largely keeping silent before the interrogations of the high priest in accordance with the prophecy of Isaiah 53. Notice in Matthew 26 at verse 63, before the before the crucifixion. But Jesus kept silent, and the high priest answered and said to him, I put you under oath by the living God. Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said to him, it is as you said.

Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven. You see here Christ using the Son of Man title of Himself and specifically applying Daniel 7, 13, and 14 to Himself and to the high priest. The high priest will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven.

We see as well in Acts 7, 56, and what a glorious passage this is, where the faithful Stephen looks up into heaven prior to his vicious stoning. He's given this blessing of a seeing of, gazing upon the exalted Son of God. Notice. Stephen in chapter 7, verse 54 of the book of Acts. When they heard these things, the preaching, the righteous preaching of Stephen, they were cut to the heart and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God and said, look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. You see the wonderful scene here. It's Stephen, the faithful one, that is given this vision of God and the victorious Messiah, the Messianic King, standing at his right hand, that Son of Man, clearly, just like his master, applying Daniel 7 to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so, excuse me. And so finding our way back to Daniel chapter 7, we note, of course, that the one who receives the kingdom is this Son of Man, and this Son of Man is the Lord Jesus Christ. Very God and very man, yet one Christ, and the only mediator between God and man. We then see the one who grants the kingdom. the one who grants the kingdom. And sort of as we're transitioning to this, we ought to note that Christ uses this title, the son of man of himself, for a number of reasons, perhaps the most significant of which is because it's theologically explosive.

In his particular time, he being he coming to his own in his own receiving him not, he coming to that final generation of apostate Jews who would have visited upon them finally the covenant curses of Deuteronomy 28, he's using the language that is so theologically explosive to indict them for their rejection of himself. They reject the Son of Man. They reject the Son of God of Daniel 3. They reject the stone of Daniel 2. They reject the Son of Man of Daniel 7.

And so he applies all of that language to himself in order to even emphasize even more that they had filled up the measure of their guilt and wrath was coming on them to the uttermost. We see in Daniel 7 here the one who grants the kingdom. So the one who receives the kingdom is the Son of Man, Jesus Christ. The one who grants the kingdom is the Father, here pictured as the Ancient of Days.

Just before that, though, we ought to notice that the Son of Man comes with the clouds of heaven, and he comes to the Ancient of Days, often the language of coming on the clouds of heaven, and not necessarily, we'll talk about this in a moment, mistakenly.

But Daniel 7, 13, and 14 is often set in our future by some Christians. But the language is clear here, and a reference, as we'll note, to his ascension after the perfection of his mediatorial work, This is a coming to God on the clouds of heaven following his resurrection. The direction is from earth to heaven. He came to the ancient of days, coming with the clouds of heaven from earth upon again the heels of his victorious work, he goes to God, he goes to heaven. where he receives glory, dominion, and a kingdom. And the one who grants that kingdom is this Ancient of Days, which is certainly a reference to the Father, but by virtue of the equality of the three persons, certainly a reference to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the context here, though, we could say that it is referring to the Father, the messianic victor, coming on the clouds of heaven, too, the Ancient of Days, who is the Father.

This language of Ancient of Days is very interesting. If we think about it here for a moment, what we know about our God, what we ought to know about our God, God is not ancient because He is eternal. It's time language being applied to one who is eternal. He came to the ancient of days. As creatures who don't know what eternity is, or what it's like, the only way that we can speak of one who is eternal, from everlasting to everlasting, is relative to time. Unlike us, who are recent of days, how do we speak of one who is eternal and our Creator, but one who is ancient of days?

This language was already used in verse 9, I watched till thrones were put in place and the ancient of days was seated. And notice the splendor and the majesty that doesn't even approach exhausting the actual essential splendor and majesty of God, but does communicate something of His glory.

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, a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. Notice the attendance to His throne majesty. A thousand thousands ministered to Him. Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated and the books were opened.

We need to stop for a moment. And whether right now we're scowling, we're frowning, we're smiling, we have an indifferent look on our faces, whatever it may be, let's just pause and observe that this is the God before whom we now worship and towards whom we now worship.

Very often, I don't know if it's just me, But I think sometimes we can so conceptualize God within just this category, perhaps, of theology, and not realize that the heavenliness of our theology touches the practicality of our redeemed humanity and calls us to lift our eyes and our souls to one who is as white as snow in this vision, whose hair is like pure wool in this vision, who before him has thousands and thousands, even 10,000 times 10,000 ministering to him. What an honor it is, and what a humbling reality it should be that we can worship this glorious God, this Ancient of Days, this language of ancient and of days as applied to God.

He's not old, and he doesn't have days. One man writes, James Dolezal, with regards to these sorts of things, this sort of language, because remember, we also read in the Bible that God has arms, eyes, wings, that he grieves and that he relents. These things, of course, analogies or metaphors, as Dolezal writes, meant to accommodate man's inescapable temporal standpoint. We stand in this temporal standpoint. We're creatures.

We are the finite seeking to behold the infinite, who has revealed himself to us in peculiar ways, such as this, the language of the ancient of days. This has meant God's condescended language, that he has arms even though he's spirit, that he has eyes even though he doesn't, but he sees all things, that he has nostrils even though he doesn't, that he breathes in the sweet-smelling aroma of the sacrifice of Christ, but of course he does not have nostrils. He is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in all of his glorious perfections. But we are, in our particular vantage points, our temporal standpoints, so below the Exalted One that He must condescend to us and speak to us in ways that we might understand.

He is the Ancient of Days. You can turn with me for a moment to the Psalms, 1st Psalm 90. The language of God's eternality is very often gloried in and reflected upon by the redeemed of God. Notice in Psalm 90, a prayer of Moses, the man of God. Notice as well in Psalm 102. Psalm 102, just a little bit to the right, Psalm 102 in verse 26.

They will perish, but you will endure. Yes, they will all grow old like a garment, like a cloak you will change them, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end. The Psalms are replete and the Scriptures are replete with this sort of language and this like language regarding the everlastingness, the eternality, the without time, all temporal eternity of the living and true God.

This is Boethius on the timelessness of God. God has the whole simultaneous and perfect possession of endless life. If you ever want to talk about God relative to us, God, we are time-bound. God in his infinitude is not bounded by time. He has, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the whole simultaneous and perfect possession of endless life. Turretin. He has an interminable, it doesn't end, an interminable possession of life.

And Voss writes, that attribute of God whereby He is exalted above all limitations of time and all succession of time and in a single indivisible present possesses the content of His life perfectly and as such is the cause of time. God is above time, not in time as another actor in the theater of redemptive history, but infinitely exalted above all of our creatureliness and all of our finitude.

He is the Ancient of Days. And this speaks to his singular and unrivaled majesty and regency. As we already noted in Daniel 7, at verse 9, this language of the Father as the Ancient of Days speaks to his eternity, yes, but it also speaks to his singular and unrivaled majesty and regency. That means his royal kingship, his monarchy. 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.

Notice something very interesting in Revelation 1. And this is appropriating the language of Daniel 7 with respect to the Lord Jesus Christ, and upon the heels of the perfection of his saving work, his resurrection, and his exaltation, the same language of the Ancient of Days is applied to the Son of God. Notice in Revelation 1 at verse 12, Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands.

And in the midst of the seven lampstands, notice, one like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes like a flame of fire. His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters. He had in his right hand seven stars, out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and his countenance was like the sun shining in its strength."

What a glorious picture of our Lord Jesus Christ here. And using the language of Daniel 7, now applying the language of the ancient of days to that one like the Son of Man who ascended on high and was given glory, dominion, and a kingdom. Why? Because He is very God of very God, light from light, true God from true God, and having assumed our humanity, He perfected redemption and brought a multitude of sons and daughters to glory. We see the blessedness of this Christ, the blessedness of the one who grants the kingdom, and that brings us now to the kingdom that is confirmed, conferred. Not only does this Ancient of Days, does this God confer upon earthly kings their transient or temporary rule, but he is the one who confers upon the Mediator Christ the permanent rule over all things.

Notice this language back in Daniel 7.13. 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." What's going on in Daniel 7?

Remember, when we were reading that, we see these four beasts. These four beasts are four kingdoms, and they are the same four kingdoms that we read from Daniel 2 this morning. Remember there was this statue, the head and the various parts represented four subsequent kingdoms. Here, those same kingdoms are brought to the fore in these night visions, And it's now four beasts that come from out of the sea.

And church history has largely recognized that these four kingdoms are Babylon, so the first kingdom is the kingdom involved with the Danielic episode here, Babylon, and then Medo-Persia, which usurps Babylon in the rule of empires following Babylon's decline.

So Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and then Rome. And the trajectory of this, following those subsequent kingdoms moving forward in time and in history, is saying that the son of man is this king, this glorious one, who comes from out of that fourth beast, Rome, and is the one who receives this everlasting dominion. So the history, this isn't, while the vision is very visionary, while there's a lot of imagery and a lot of signification going on, it reflects actual history. Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, from out of Rome, the Messiah. gains victory and is given a kingdom that shall never fade away. So the kingdom that is conferred, the first thing that we see here is that fact of the kingdom conferred. To him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom.

Christ himself recognizes this, doesn't he? Post-resurrection. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and disciple the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Christ realized, as he did in his earthly ministry, post-resurrection, that he was the Danielic Son of Man, the second or last Adam, who was obedient, who was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom, having perfected redemption. And now, upon his resurrection and prior to his ascension, he gives that glorious declaration to his disciples that he is the recipient of dominion and glory and a kingdom, of course. By virtue of his deity, he always and ever has that essential majesty and that essential dominion as the one who is, from everlasting to everlasting, the creator of all things. But according to his messianic work, according to his assumed humanity, and after the perfection of his work, he is the one who is given dominion and glory and a kingdom. So we have the fact of the kingdom confirmed. We see the reason for the kingdom conferred. The perfection of his mediatorial work. Or we ought to note the reason for the kingdom conferred. It's because he has perfected redemption.

Remember what the Apostle Paul does in Philippians 2. Pastor Butler was there a number of Sunday evenings ago. And in Philippians 2, The Apostle Paul draws a connection between the ascended glory of the Son of Man and the perfection of His saving work. the ancient of days, highly exalting this Christ. And so why is the kingdom conferred upon one like the Son of Man, upon Jesus Christ? Because of his obedience unto cross death vocation as the Son of God and Son of Man, yet one Christ.

Notice in Philippians 2, and the language ought to be familiar to you. In Philippians 2, we see in verse 6, speaking of Christ, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Therefore, This therefore gives us what was going on or what did the perfection of his condescended work, what did that bring about? He comes in the incarnation, he humbles himself in obedience, even unto the obedience of the cross death, therefore, verse nine, God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name. By virtue of the perfection of His saving work, Christ is awarded, is rewarded by the Father. Adam failed, but the last Adam succeeded, and by virtue of that success, God the Father has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

I want us to see something by way of comparison here. If you were here this morning, we looked at Daniel 3. If you weren't here this morning, it's still true that we looked at Daniel 3. This morning we looked at Daniel 3 and we noticed something with regards to the false liturgy and the rival apostate worship, idolatrous worship being offered up by the Babylonians under the perverse leadership of Nebuchadnezzar. And we noticed something there.

In verse 4 of Daniel 3, this perverse worship was all gathered around, or was all set up by the herald who cried aloud, to you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, to worship that particular false image. A few chapters later, what do we get in Daniel 7 with regards to peoples, nations, and languages? That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve that Son of God who was in the furnace. Not Nebuchadnezzar, not Marduk. not the gods of the Babylonians, but that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Son of God and Son of Man, because His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and the kingdom which shall not perish. be destroyed.

What a glorious reality. The kingdom is conferred. The reason for that kingdom being conferred is the perfection of the work of Christ. And notice that the purpose of the kingdom, we already said it, is that all people's nations and languages should serve Him. The purpose of the kingdom conferred is that from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, a multitude of believers would come to a knowledge of this Christ and would rejoice in Him. What a glorious reality that we can be those who serve this Christ, that this message came to us.

We've often reflected upon this, that 2,000 years ago, the message heralded was just heralded you know, small community of Jerusalem. Then it expanded to Judea and Samaria, then to the uttermost parts of the Roman Empire, and here we are, 2,000 years removed from the glory of Christ's redemption, and the glory of Christ's redemption has extended beyond all borders and has come to Canada. You know, 11,000 kilometers away. Somebody can Google that later, I don't know what it actually is.

But 11,000 kilometers away was where these redemptive historical events took place, yet we are the blessed and undeserved beneficiaries of something that took place so long ago and so far ago, yet is just as efficacious as it ever has been, the kingdom which was conferred upon the sun by virtue of the perfection of his work. And this brings us to close with this, the unshakable confidence for kingdom citizens.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom, the one which shall not be destroyed. The vision that is given of the four beasts that come from out of the sea, these four kingdoms, it's something. These perverse nations with perverse rulers, marked by chaos, marked by upheaval, marked by violence, they perish, they fade away, they are utterly destroyed. Being citizens attached and connected only to those kingdoms, it's a fearful place to be. Yet if you are a Christian, if you are of the kingdom of one like the Son of Man, Note very well the passage says that his dominion is an everlasting dominion. Which shall not pass away in his kingdom, the one which shall not be destroyed.

We have King Jesus on our side when we see government after government, kingdom after kingdom. We see that in Christ Jesus, we are part of a kingdom not ruled by tyrants and idiots, but by one perfect in his deity and perfect in his humanity. That's our kingdom citizenship. Christ as king, the one who has effected salvation, the one who has perfected salvation, the one who came into this world, sinners to save.

What a king we have, and a simple application as we move to the Lord's Supper here is praise the king. And secondly, pray for the kingdom. We praise the exalted Lord Jesus Christ. As we remember His death till He comes again, we're remembering this One who is the Son of God, who is the Son of Man, yet one Christ who has wrought perfect redemption for all whom the Father has given to Him. What a blessing it is to gather together as the sons and daughters of the living God, reflecting upon our King who gave Himself for guilty sinners.

And we should pray for the advance of the kingdom throughout the earth. Knowing with great confidence that his dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not fade away, and his kingdom, the one that shall not be destroyed, let's go with confidence to God, not in fear of men and fear of world events and in fear of world powers, but in the unshakable confidence that the God of heaven and earth owns His universe. The kingdoms of this world are the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ. And we need not fear because we are found as the citizens of the King.

Well, let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your truth. We rejoice in Your goodness to us. in making us alive in Christ Jesus. We thank you for the perfection of his work. We thank you for the glory of his salvation. We pray that you would cause us to have such unshakable confidence in so great a king and that we would be prayerful for your kingdom knowing that it is that kingdom which shall not pass away. We pray that You would vindicate Your name in all the earth, that You would bring a multitude of newly redeemed tongues to sing the praises of our Redeemer, and that You would, throughout the earth, Lord God, conquer the nations in the name of the living Christ. And we pray in His name. Amen.