Episode Transcript
We'll be in Daniel chapter 4 this morning.
Daniel chapter 4, and God willing, we'll be expounding verse 17.
If you're new here, this is your first time with us, then we welcome you.
We're thrilled to have you with us this morning.
And uh all of our teaching is verse by verse through God's Word.
And we're in going through the book of Daniel.
We're landing on verse 17 today.
The title of the message is The Word of the Watchers. the word of the watchers.
We've been studying Nebuchadnezzar's second prophetic dream in the book of Daniel that was given to him by God.
And although Nebuchadnezzar was given the dream, he wasn't given the interpretation.
The interpretation had to come through God's prophet Daniel.
And Nebuchadnezzar wasn't a believer yet.
God willing, we'll get into the interpretation of the dream next Sunday.
But this Sunday, we have to finish the dream And so that ends in verse 17, and what a rich verse this verse is.
In Nebuchadnezzar's second dream, Uh he saw just remind you he saw a great tree that grew up tall to heaven and it provided lodging. and food for the fowls of heaven and for the beast under it all over the world.
And it represented, this tree represented a world empire.
Whose king did not give credit to God, it grew up into heaven, exalting itself up to where it was like God Himself.
The king did not give credit to God for the empire that he oversaw.
So an angel of God, we read in the previous verses, came down from heaven, and he gave the order to cut that tree down.
Remember the tree represented the world empire.
He says, cut it down, cut off its branches, scatter its fruit, and give the king of the empire the heart of an animal. until seven periods of time have passed.
It's what we looked over last week.
This was a stunning declaration made by the angel.
One that pronounced severe judgment on the arrogant king and his kingdom, whoever that king was, it has not yet been revealed who it is.
But the angel in Nebuchadnezzar's dream isn't finished speaking yet.
After making his declaration about the tree, the angel said, look in your text now in verse 17, this matter.
This matter, and the Chaldean word translated matter here, it's speaking about a legal matter.
This is legal jargon.
In the United States, every case going before the court is styled as a legal matter.
For example, it may say in the matter of Roe versus Wade.
So the angel is saying, this legal matter against this tree, look back in your text, is by the decree of the watchers. by the decree of the watchers.
Now a decree is an authoritative declaration, such as a judicial decision That's handed down by a judge or a command that's issued out by a king.
But fascinatingly, in this case, it's a decree, a command.
Of the Watchers.
Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for your precious word.
We're so grateful for the people here this morning.
I pray, dear Lord God, that you'll open our eyes of understanding this morning.
Teach us your precious word.
Give us the understanding we need through your word.
And may all eyes be on you, glorify your great name and edify your wonderful saints.
Thank you for your love and mercy toward us in Jesus' name.
Amen.
If you're just coming in, we're in Daniel chapter 4, verse 17.
Daniel chapter 4, verse 17.
So he said, this legal matter is by the decree of the watchers.
And remember, as we just said, a decree is an authoritative declaration.
It's a command issued by a king.
It's a judgment issued by a judge.
But in this case, it's a decree of the watchers.
Now what is a watcher?
A watcher was what came down from heaven in Daniel 4 verse 13. to command the tree to be cut down.
Look in Daniel 4.
13.
Nebuchadnezzar said, I saw in the visions of my head Upon my bed, and behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven So a watcher is someone who keeps watch.
A watcher is a guardian.
And Nebuchadnezzar said, this watcher.
This guardian came down from heaven.
Now, the guardians of heaven are commonly called the angels of heaven.
That's what we would normally call an angel.
But a watcher from heaven and an angel from heaven are one and the same.
The Bible says in the book of Genesis, chapter 3, verse 24.
That God drove out the man, and he placed at the east of the Garden of Eden cherubims.
Now cherubims are angels There's two types of angels, and the cherubim are those who are the guardians.
They guard in God's kingdom.
And so these cherubims, it says here, had a flaming sword which turned every way to keep.
That word keep in Hebrew means to guard the way of the tree of life.
So the watchers are the angels, they're the heavenly guardians, and they are the ones that kept or guarded the way of the tree of life in the book of Genesis.
Now listen to how God told Moses to make the tabernacle In the wilderness, and all this will start falling into place for you.
In Exodus chapter 26, verse 1 God said, moreover, thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains. of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet.
Man, that is just rich right there.
We could teach on that the rest of the morning.
But watch what happens.
Not only is the number 10 important.
We don't want to chase a rabbit.
The colors are also very important.
But notice what's on these ten curtains.
Jerubams cherubims, the same creature, the same watcher, that stood watch over the entrance to the Garden of Eden, so that man could not come back in defile. that tree of life after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
That same creature is now on all the curtains round about that tabernacle.
Guardians, guardians.
You see?
As if to say, surrounding it, guards surrounding that tabernacle in every direction. saying, nothing unholy must trespass in here.
Not only that Not only, you see you had the all of the tabernacle was holy, but then you had one place that was extra holy.
You had the holy place.
Then that's where the the candlesticks and the showbread and all that was, the altar of incense.
But then you had the most holy place, or the holy of holies And as if it wasn't enough to have angels surrounding that tabernacle, the guardians of God surrounding that tabernacle.
You had another curtain called a veil that separated the holy place from the most holy place, forbidding entrance into there. from anybody except for the high priest, and that only one time in the year, and that only with the blood of the sacrifice, because he represented Christ coming in that one time to pay the sin of man And guess what was on the veil in the temple?
Cherubims.
Guardians, guarding the holiness of God.
Now, they weren't real cherubims, but they symbolized The true tabernacle.
They symbolized the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Nothing will defile it.
We will not permit it.
So the angels are the watchers from heaven.
And that's important for us to understand this as we go through this wonderful uh book this morning because they're they're watchers and this is a legal matter.
It's a matter They're issuing a legal order, a legal decree from the angels to cut the tree down.
Now, when we think of angels, we usually don't think about them giving commands.
We usually think about them announcing God's news or following God's commands, but not issuing God's decrees.
But angels don't only do the will of God, they also bear the authority of God.
Understand that.
Angels do not only do the will of God.
They don't only tell the news of God, but they also bear the authority of God.
Speaking of the Ten Commandments.
That God gave from Mount Sinai.
The Bible says in Acts chapter 7 verse 53, that the Jews are those who have received the law. by the disposition of angels.
You see that?
They received the law by the disposition of angels.
Angels were involved. in the promulgation, the announcement of God's law and the handing down of it.
When God came down on Mount Sinai, this is why it's so important to go through this Genesis to Jesus class.
If you've never been through it.
That way when we speak on these things, we already have an understanding of how all that played out.
But when God came down on Mount Sinai, when those Jews, when Israel was around Mount Sinai And God gave those Ten Commandments.
God came down on that mountain and the mountain starts shaking and starts getting a big s smoking fire and lightning and thunder.
But you know who came down on that mountain with God?
Thousands of his holy angels.
Thousands of watchers came down.
And remember, God had them put border around that mountain because if anyone broke through that border, they were to die.
A symbol again of God guarding that holy mountain in his holiness of this covenant.
And so the angels came down by the thousands with God on that mountain.
Psalm 68 verse 17 says the chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands. of angels.
There they're called the chariots of God.
Chariots as in armies.
As in an army of God marching out to do his will and to enforce his commands.
Because of sin, God's commands must be enforced.
That's how come you have a legislative branch of government that issues the laws.
But you have to have a law enforcement entity to enforce them when you have a land full of rebellious people.
And so in Psalm 68, they're called the chariots of God.
And then it says, even thousands of angels.
They're the chariots of God.
Listen to what it says.
Psalm 68, 17, the chariots of God are 20,000, even thousands of angels.
The Lord is among them as in Sinai in the holy place.
Just like in Mount Sinai when God gave the law.
Here's a kingdom truth for you this morning.
Angels are to God in heaven what man was supposed to have been to God on earth.
Angels are to God in heaven What man was supposed to have been to God on earth.
God made man to be keepers, to be watchers Over the earth.
Remember Adam's two uh uh jobs, his two areas of responsibility in the Garden of Eden.
God put him in the Garden of Eden, the Bible says to dress it and to keep it.
That word keep it means to guard it.
So God man made men to be keepers or watchers over the earth, and God made angels to be watchers over heaven So the legal matter of this great empire being cut down was made by the decree of the watchers.
Look back in your text now in Daniel 4.
And the demand, that is the command, was given by whom?
By the word of the holy ones.
Now underscore the words holy ones.
Holy ones.
And out in your margin, write the word saints The word saints, the word holy ones means the same thing.
Sacred, saint, holy ones, it all means the same thing.
So the angels gave the command for this rebellious world empire to fall.
Cut it down, cut off its branches, scatter its fruit.
That's important for us to remember.
But for now, notice that these angels are now being referred to, as I just said.
Holy ones.
The Aramaic word that's translated holy ones here means angels or saints.
Angels or saints.
Holy ones literally means saints, but since we know it's referring to angels, it's also defined as angels, but literally it's saints.
Now in Deuteronomy chapter 33, verse 2 through 3, I know we're going through a lot of verses here, but we got meat this morning.
We got strong meat, and we got to chew it In Deuteronomy chapter 33, verses 2 through 3, it says this.
And he said, the Lord came from Sinai.
Now there's Mount Sinai again, where the law was given.
The Lord came from Sinai and rose up from Ser unto them.
He shined from Mount Peron, and he came with ten thousands of saints.
That's speaking about the angels that he came with, referred elsewhere as the chariots of God who were at Mount Sinai, even the angels.
And so here in Deuteronomy the angels are called saints.
He comes to Mount Sinai with ten thousands of saints.
From his right hand went a fiery law for them, speaking of Israel.
Yea, he loved the people.
All his saints are in thy hand.
And they sat down at thy feet.
Every one shall receive of thy words.
So why is it so important for us to understand what's happening here in Daniel?
Because what The reason it's so important that we understand it is because this is speaking about the future.
This is a prophetic book, remember?
Why is it so important for us to understand that the watchers The angels, the heavenly saints of God, are giving a legal decree for the world empire to cut down.
And they're enforcing that legal decree.
It's because this is a book of prophecy.
And remember, what we are reading about in the past is a declaration of the future.
When you're studying a prophetic book in the Bible, you are reading history that is giving you prophecy.
You're reading something happening to one world empire that foreshadows and signals the last world empire that also will fall.
Friend, the end time, the holy angels, these ten thousands of saints that came with God at Sinai to give his law.
The watchers who gave the decree for the world empire to come down in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, they will come with God. again to give the commandment for the world empire to come down, which is headed up not by Nebuchadnezzar.
Not by Pharaoh, not by any world ruler of the past, but by the man of sin, the devil's seed from Genesis, the son of perdition as the New Testament words it.
What or who many identify as the Antichrist Now the prophet Enoch from the book of Genesis prophesied of this very thing.
Remember Enoch?
He walked with God and was not, for God took him.
The book of Jude, chapter 1, verses 14 through 15 says And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, that is seventh born from after Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, The Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, or ten thousands of his angels, to execute judgment upon all.
And to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Jesus said in Matthew 25, 31, When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, And all the holy angels, you see that again?
All the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory, literally the saintly angels.
The saintly angels.
These are the same ones that Jude was talking about.
When the Lord comes with 10,000 of his saints, these saintly angels, Jesus will come with his saints.
His angels for his saints, the church.
I'll show you how it goes together.
If you'll notice back in Deuteronomy If you'll notice back in Deuteronomy, it says that God came down to Mount Sinai with his thousands of saints.
That's angels.
He came with his saints.
And then he gave a law to his saints.
So when he came down to Mount Sinai with his thousands of saints, that's his holy angels.
Then through those holy angels, he promulgates the law to his saints, that's his holy people.
So in the end time God will come with his saints, the holy angels, for his saints, his holy church.
Make sense?
By understanding this, we can then go to the New Testament and understand the prophetic books better.
But if you're not grounded in the Old Testament passages, then you're going to misunderstand the New Testament passages.
You wanna know who these saints are So he comes with his saints, his angels, for his saints, the church, and the watcher in Nebuchadnezzar's dream said that the falling of this tree or the falling of this kingdom is, look back in your text now. to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of man.
The purpose of this tree falling down This great world empire coming down is so that the living may know that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of man.
Now, when you're living during the reign of one of these powerful kingdoms, it's hard to imagine that kingdom falling.
That's all you've ever known.
The great world empire represented by this enormous tree was about to fall to the ground, however, it's something the world did not expect.
And in the end times, the world's not going to expect their Babylon to fall either. their world empire to fall.
That's why when the end times, when it finally falls, you'll see the people scratching their head in bewilderment saying, Babylon has fallen, has fallen, the great, the great, what happened?
Not this Babylon, but the prophetic Babylon that this one represents.
Make sense?
And how all the prophecies start coming together when we understand the Old Testament The great world empire represented by this enormous tree was going to be felled to the ground.
The world wouldn't expect it.
And when it falls to the ground, the living We'll see that it wasn't the king that made that kingdom great.
It was God.
The angel announced ahead of time that God was cutting this kingdom down.
King Nebuchadnezzar himself declared it by his dream that the kingdom was coming down.
So when the kingdom came down, The angel said the living would know that God alone sets kings up and casts kings down.
Now I want you to notice that the angel said It was so that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of man and gives it to whomsoever he will.
Why did the angel exclude the dead?
Because the dead already know.
The moment they die, every world ruler Every king, every judge, every president, every prime minister, every mayor, every city councilman, every politician Every world mover and shaker, the moment they die, they realize that they've never ruled anything.
They were never in control of anything.
They discovered that the Most High rules in the kingdom of man.
Look back in your text.
And giveth it to whomsoever he will.
And at this time God had given the kingdoms of this world into the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled about 500 years before Christ came King Nebuchadnezzar.
Do you see God's graciousness in the stream?
By giving King Nebuchadnezzar this dream?
God was about to cause King Nebuchadnezzar to discover this truth while he lived, say he wouldn't have to find out after he died.
Aren't you glad that God has allowed you and me to discover the great truth of who our Creator is?
his authority over man and his great provision for us the gospel of Jesus Christ, we get to find out before we die.
And not after.
Praise his name.
God rules in the kingdom of men, the Bible says, and gives it to whomsoever he will.
Look back in your text, and setteth up over it the basest of men.
Underscore setteth up.
Setteth up.
In the wisdom and sovereignty of God God takes men of his choosing and he sets them up over the kingdoms of this world.
And they are men who are of the basis of men.
And what that means is this. apart from God's sovereign power in setting them up in that position of leadership.
They would otherwise be nobody.
And remember what God said he was going to do with the tree?
He is going to leave the stump, give it the heart of an animal, and let it dwell outside for seven years, like a cow eating grass.
You know what's gonna happen when people see that world leader out there in the in the field eating grass like a cow?
They're gonna see, but by the grace of God, that's all that world ruler is.
No better than a dumb animal.
It was God that gave him the intellect.
It was God that set him up.
It was God that gave him the power and the authority over all the earth.
Not him.
He's dumber than an animal.
Never give yourself credit for what God does in your life.
In the wisdom and sovereignty of God, he raises these men up.
They're the basis of men.
And this doesn't just go for the the king in Nebuchadnezzar's dream.
It goes for every king in every age.
Listen to what God told Pharaoh.
In Exodus chapter 9, verse 16, and you'll see how the destruction of empires in the world All they are.
Remember how in the Old Testament you had sacrifices all kinds of sacrifices that always pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ.
In the Old Testament you have all kinds of authorities being put down by God.
And those authorities in the Old Testament that are put down by God, they are also foreshadowings just like all those sacrifices.
As the sacrifices pointed to Jesus.
And his redemption, the casting down of the Old Testament powers, point to Jesus in his conquering for his people.
You see?
So Listen to what God told Pharaoh in Exodus 9.
16.
He says, and in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up.
Now do you see the connection?
Between God setting up the basis of men over the kingdoms, and God raising up Pharaoh over his kingdom, Egypt.
It's the same thing.
Setting up, raising up, it's all the same thing.
And so before Daniel ever came, we already had this principle.
Here in Egypt.
When we read of God conquering Pharaoh and the kingdom of Egypt and setting his people free.
It was simply a picture of God coming in the person of Christ, conquering the world empire at the end of time.
Conquering the devil who rules it and setting his people free.
He says, for this cause have I raised thee up.
For to show in thee my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.
In other words, As the angels said that the tree would be cut down so that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomsoever he will, the same that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men's and gives it to whomsoever he will, which is why when the Israelites came to Jericho, that Gentile woman said, We know you Your God is the most high God, and we know he's given you this kingdom.
We've heard all about you.
She didn't want any part of messing with Israel.
She wanted their God to be her God.
And she wanted to be part of that kingdom too.
Like a tree, God set Pharaoh up so that he might show his great power when he cut him down.
Why?
Because Pharaoh, like the king in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, He exalted.
He raised himself up against God.
Brother Doug, would you read our memory verse, please?
Come up here and read it.
That way people can hear you on the microphone.
The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock.
And let the God of my salvation be exalted.
There you go.
The Lord lives.
Blessed be my rock.
Praise God, he's mine.
He didn't say the rock.
That's my rock.
And let the God of my salvation be what?
Exalted.
Let him be raised up.
The reason this tree in Nebuchadnezzar's dreams being cut down is because he exalted himself up to where only God had a right to be.
Pharaoh exalted himself above God.
When Moses came to Pharaoh and said, God said, let my people go, he said, Who's God that I should obey him?
exalted himself up.
No, let the God of my salvation be exalted.
And not man.
And so we learn why uh why the Bible says in 2 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 5. that we should be casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
In bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
When the tree rose up, that was the world ruler exalting himself against the knowledge of God.
When Pharaoh challenged Moses and his God.
He was exalting himself against the knowledge of God.
And then when you get to the book of the Revelation, you see this little horn spring up.
And he begins to boast big things against God.
What's he doing?
He's exalting himself against the knowledge of God.
And he's saying, you take my mark.
I will seal each one of you as being identified with my empire, my kingdom.
And that seal is a counterfeit of the seal of the Holy Spirit that the Bible says we've been sealed by.
Because we belong to his kingdom.
And his kingdom's not coming down.
Like the tree. is going to stand forever.
And all of this is being taught here in the book of Daniel.
And so with this understanding in Daniel, we can better understand what Paul meant in Romans chapter 9.
Verses 15 through 17, which says, for he saith to Moses, now we're going back to Moses and Pharaoh here, okay?
God says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
So then it is not of him that willeth or willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up.
We just read that.
That I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
It's not him who runs or him who wills, but God that shows mercy.
He God says, I'll show mercy on whom I'll show mercy. whom I will, I'll harden that person's heart because that's what he did to Pharaoh.
He hardened Pharaoh's heart.
But why?
Because Pharaoh exalted himself against the knowledge of God.
And because of that, God raised him up to a position of power so he could cast him down.
God didn't make Pharaoh rebel.
God took a rebellious man, set him up, and then knocked him down.
The Calvinists say that God raising Pharaoh up means that God created Pharaoh for the purpose of condemning him.
No God never creates anybody to send them to hell.
That's a lie.
But by studying Daniel, we see that God raising Pharaoh up meant that God set up Pharaoh.
In the position he had as king of Egypt.
Just as he did this king in Nebuchadnezzar's dream.
And he cut Pharaoh down for the same reason, so that the living would know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of man, understand. this as we close.
God doesn't create men to make them ungodly, but he does raise the ungodly up that he may knock them down.
And God willing will begin studying the interpretation of this great dream next Sunday morning.
That's some rich, rich doctrine there, folks.
God's word is like milk in some places, and it's so fun and sweet to drink.
And it's like meat in other places.
And it's so savory to chew.
Father, we thank you for your precious word.
We thank you, Father, for your meaty doctrine.
And I pray, Lord God, that you will help us retain what we've learned as we continue going through this book, because that's the problem that most of us have is retention.
Help us to retain it, Lord, to understand it, to give you thanks for what we learn, and to glorify your great name.
Thank you for telling us ahead of time what's going to happen in the future by telling us what happened in the past.
In Jesus' wonderful name.
Amen.
