Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Daniel 7 and Psalm 148

Daniel chapters 1-6 record the key events of Daniel’s exile in Babylon. Daniel 7-12 record the various visions he received from the LORD during those years. The vision of Daniel 7 came to him during the reign of Belsahazzar, which means that it happened at some point during the time between chapter 4 and chapter 5.

In this vision, Daniel prophetically saw his current kingdom, Babylon, as well as the next three great earthly kingdoms of ancient history (Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome). He saw that during the fourth kingdom (Rome), the Kingdom of the Son of Man would be established by the sovereign decree of the great eternal God, the “Ancient of Days”. Daniel saw that this “son of man” was given “authority, glory and sovereign power” and that “all nations and peoples of every language worshipped him.” He saw that “His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

We 21st Century believers tend to forget that we still live in this Eternal Kingdom. There is a political authority over the country in which we live, and some reading this blog may even live in a literal “kingdom”, like Britain or eSwatini. But while we live in these kingdoms and countries, our true citizenship is in the greater overarching, eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, which has existed for 2000 years in parallel to the kingdoms of this world. This is the Kingdom to which we owe our true allegiance, and which must always take precedence over our commitment to our earthly “kingdoms”.

Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords, I recommit myself to Your sovereignty and Lordship. Help me to live as a faithful citizen of Your Eternal Kingdom as I go about my life and business in this world today. Amen.