Prince of Peace and Christ Our Savior Lutheran Churches November 23, 2003

Pastor Steve Geiger Christ the King

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Daniel 7:13-14

13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

See Sights Unseen Daniel 7:13-14

1. A king who came as one of us

2. A king who rules all for us

The sky, bright blue. Excitement in the air. Take off time, minutes away.

Standing in the lobby of Yankton’s own little airline, a private outfit that rents planes and flies charters. Waiting, I was, to go into the air in a tiny four-seater. To look down over the city of Yankton from high up above.

At the moment, though, it was not the city of Yankton that caught my attention. On a wall, a picture. Perhaps you’ve seen one like this. A picture that appears to be nothing more than a random pattern of shapes. Rows of shapes and strange combinations of colors. At first the picture looks like nothing.

But it’s one of those weird pictures. Those pictures where you have to let your eyes unfocus. Where you have to focus, almost, somewhere behind the picture. Then suddenly you can see the picture. A three-dimensional picture. This one, an F-111. That new American stealth fighter. Black. Sharp edges.

A picture. But to see it, you almost have to focus past the picture. Behind the picture. Behind the scene.

Does life ever feel that way? That to understand what’s really going on, you must have to see behind the picture. Behind the scenes. Because on its surface life appears to be a jumble? Confusion. Pain and disappointment. It can appear that God has lost control.

Some days we wish we could see behind the scenes. To see with our eyes how God’s plan is working out for our best.

Would you like to see?

You can. Daniel did. A dream. God caused visions to pass through his mind. Daniel wrote them down for you to see too.

A frightening picture at first. Huge winds. Massive waves crashing in the sea. Suddenly a beast comes up from under the water. It looked like a lion, but it had wings of an eagle. Then a bear about to eat flesh. Then a leopard, but with four wings and four heads. Then something beyond description. Huge iron teeth, ten horns, one horn with eyes and a mouth that ridiculed God.

Then God appeared. A throne flaming with fire. A river of flame flowing from in front of him. Thousands and thousands gathered around. A court came into session. Books opened. The one horn with eyes kept boasting with its mouth, until the beast the horn was attached to was killed and thrown into the fire.

This, just the start. When the entire vision ended, Daniel’s mind was racing. His face, pale.

You understand.

Daniel had just witnessed God predicting the future. Nations rising, then falling. Institutions opposing all that is God and all who love God. God himself coming to judge.

Surely you can understand why Daniel’s thoughts were troubled.

What would you think if one day God gave you a vision of great things yet to happen, then a vision of the end of the world? What would you think?

Impossible. Is that what we think? Would never happen? Impossible? A peek into eternity? God, not able to do that?

So easy it is to get caught up in the day-to-day challenges of life that we forget there is something behind all that we can see. A reality that we would never completely grasp by our own human powers.

By miraculous power Daniel saw this reality: kingdoms rising and falling, false prophets rising and attacking; God knowing what would happen, staying in complete control. Now think: if God knew and predicted the rise and the fall of empires—the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman . . . if God knew and predicted the rise and the fall of a proud horn, the antichrist . . . if God knew and predicted these massive events in human history with certainty yet also with calm, do you think that he knows and controls the events in your life?

God is the King of history. Never does he lose control. Never is the ending in doubt. Even when the wicked for centuries appear to be winning, they are losing. Yet we will dare question, then complain against God when a tiny moment in my history does not go the way I want. We will conclude that because we cannot see behind the scenes, there must not be a picture with any shape. That because we cannot see behind the scenes, there must not be an order or purpose to the actions God permits to occur. That because we cannot see behind the scenes, the jumble our human eyes can see must in fact be the only reality.

Have you ever gotten angry with God about how your life is going? Have you ever assumed that because a God who is loving according to your definition of loving . . . that because a loving God would never have permitted to happen what happened to you, therefore God must not be a loving God? Have you ever suffered disaster, a setback, a disappointment, and immediately you felt like you had every right to fall into the deepest of depressions? Have you ever failed to gain a dream you’ve longed for and felt like you no longer had any reason to serve God with joy? Have you ever grown discouraged and felt more like sitting and doing nothing than thanking and praising God?

The Lord is just asking if you have ever assumed that what your eyes can see is all there is to see. So subtly we question his care. So subtly we question God’s very existence. We almost dare him to show himself.

How fair if he did. What if in one of those moments when we are questioning God’s rule of our lives . . . what if in that moment God would show himself: a throne of flaming fire, his hair white like wool, a river of flame out from under, thousands upon thousands surrounding. The court seated. The books opened.

At that moment you’d wish you could take back all the doubts you’ve ever had. You’d wish could swallow all the complaints you’ve ever voiced. You’d wish you could erase every thought that questioned God’s loving control.

But then it’s too late. The crime already committed. Once in court, time for judgment.

“But in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him.”

At that moment, as Daniel saw the Lord on his throne, the court in session, the books opened, the antichrist destroyed, he saw someone that looked like him. In the presence of God, in a vision with so many horrifying beasts, Daniel sees someone that looked like him. This one every human worshipped. This one came safely into God’s presence. This one was given all authority and power.

This one, the Son of Man.

In Daniel’s vision, those intending to hurt looked scary. But this one was different. What’s amazing is that the phrase Daniel uses to describe this miraculous being is the very phrase used to describe this very same person when he was on the earth. “Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). “The Son of Man is going to suffer” (Matthew 17:12). “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed” (Matthew 17:22). “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31). “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Luke 5:24). Over 75 times. In the gospels. The name for Jesus. The Son of Man.

The one who came into Daniel’s vision looked like you, a human. The one who came to this earth to help looked like you, a human. How beautiful, that God wanted Daniel, that God wants you to see your Savior as someone you can be comfortable with. Though Jesus is powerful, he intends to help, to help those who’ve made the mistake of making judgments based only on what eyes can see. Jesus came to suffer for those who doubt God. Jesus came to die for those who get angry because they think God has lost control. Jesus came to rise again for you, to announce that you are innocent. Suffering, death, resurrection: a package put together for the forgiveness of your sins.

Jesus, one of us, coming to save us.

As he returned to the presence of the Ancient of Days, the Father, he was given all authority. Now ruling as king. His kingdom never to be destroyed.

His kingdom. One thinks of Revelation 1:5-6, “. . . Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever!”

What is his kingdom? His kingdom is you. Trusting in Jesus. Made his children through baptism. You, citizens of heaven. His rule, one of peace and love. His throne, in your heart. His power, over all things for the benefit of the church.

See these things that can’t be seen. See the King ruling everything for you.

With power. Raw power. What you think of when you think of muscle. Tractors. Massive explosions. The ability to move mountains, if necessary, for your good.

Honor. Right now many may mock him. When he comes on the clouds, all will honor him. You haven’t signed up with a loser. One day all will know he is the winner.

Finally, he’s given a position of authority. A throne. Which will last. Never destroyed. It will not pass away. You will not place your confidence in Jesus, only to find in the end that he let you down.

In Iraq this may be a question. Most Iraqis realize that the U.S. is there now. Some may wonder whether we will stay as long as necessary. Or will we let them down?

You need not wonder this with Jesus. His rule is forever. He will never let you down, because he will never stop ruling.

This means you can be calm today. Even as kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall. Even as trouble and hardship continue. Like Daniel, you may look at your life and the future and seem to see only confusion.

Like Daniel, see past what’s visible to human eyes. Look behind, through the picture. See the Son of Man, who came to save. See the Son of Man, the king who rules.

See sights unseen. Amen.