Scripture Passage
Scripture Focus
Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him.” (Daniel 7:27 NLT)
Observation
I’m one guy who’s cautious about overly specific interpretation of prophetic passages. If our loving Father had wanted us to know that the fifth toe on the fourth beast in the seventh seal of the fourteenth vision was the sixty-third governor of the State of Connecticut (hmmm—never noticed the second “c” in Connecticut until now), He most certainly could have simply dictated that information to his servant verbatim and eliminated any confusion. God chose, instead, to reveal future events in visionary, descriptive language that I think is intentionally indistinct. Impressionist painters were not the first to see beauty and value in calculatingly blurred images.
But the bottom line is always there to be found—“anchor points,” I’ve called them in previous posts—navigational buoys that mark the way in murky waters. One of today’s is Daniel 7:27. Daniel experiences a vision that is explained as “four kingdoms that will arise from the earth” (7:17). The fourth will be particularly terrifying and marked by particularly arrogant leadership—leadership that “will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High” (7:25). But this oppressive kingdom and its arrogant leader will be called to account (read verses 9-10 for a beautiful, powerful, and poetic description), God's court will pronounce judgment, and then…
…the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him.” (Daniel 7:27 NLT).
This is a particularly remarkable verse! The kingdom of the Most High “will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him”. Believers “get” that…we preach well the eternal authority of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. But believers ought to read again carefully the first half of the verse, as well:
Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. (Daniel 7:27a NLT)
I don’t know the full implications of all that statement declares, but I am reminded again that our eternity—the eternity of those who’ve trusted Christ and brought their lives under His authority in this age—will not consist of angels wings and harps and floating on fluffy clouds. This verse says quite directly that my responsibilities and opportunities to serve my Lord will continue and, indeed, increase in the age to come. Jesus’ words to faithful servants in Matthew 25 come to mind: “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!” That, my friend, is a strong outlook for a remarkable, delightful, full-of-promise future!
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