Daniel

1. Daniel “The heavenly court will sit in judgment” (7:26)

2. The Enemy • “…the little horn was bragging and boasting…” (Daniel 7:11) • “boasting proudly…” (7:20) • “He will speak against the Supreme God and oppress God's people. He will try to change their religious laws and festivals, and God’s people will be under his power for three and a half years.” (Daniel 7:25)

3. The Enemy • “It grew strong enough to attack the army of heaven, the stars themselves, and it threw some of them to the ground and trampled on them. It even defied the Prince of the heavenly army…truth was thrown to the ground” (8:10-13)

4. Revelation • “The beast was allowed to make proud claims which were insulting to God, and it was permitted to have authority for forty-two months. It began to curse God, his name, the place where he lives, and all those who live in heaven.” (Revelation 13:5)

5. God’s response • “This horn had human eyes and a mouth that was boasting proudly. While I was looking, thrones were put in place. One who had been living forever sat down on one of the thrones. His clothes were white as snow, and his hair was like pure wool. His throne, mounted on fiery wheels, was blazing with fire, and a stream of fire was pouring out from it. There were many thousands of people there to serve him, and millions of people stood before him. The court began its session, and the books were opened. While I was looking, I could still hear the little horn bragging and boasting.

6. “As I watched, the fourth beast was killed, and its body was thrown into the flames and destroyed. The other beasts had their power taken away, but they were permitted to go on living for a limited time.

7. “As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. He was given authority, honor, and royal power, so that the people of all nations, races, and languages would serve him. His authority would last forever, and his kingdom would never end.” (Daniel 7:8-14)

8. Revelation parallels • “At this point I had another vision and saw an open door in heaven. And the voice that sounded like a trumpet, which I had heard speaking to me before, said, ‘Come up here…’ There in heaven was a throne with someone sitting on it. His face gleamed like such precious stones as jasper and carnelian, and all around the throne there was a rainbow the color of an emerald.” (Revelation 4:2-3)

9. “The four living creatures sing songs of glory and honor and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever. When they do so, the twenty-four elders fall down before the one who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever. They throw their crowns down in front of the throne and say, ‘Our Lord and God! You are worthy to receive glory, honor, and power. For you created all things, and by your will they were given existence and life.’” (Revelation 4:9-11)

10. “Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One who was sitting on the throne. There was writing on the inside and the outside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: ‘Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?’” (Revelation 5:1-2)

11. “No one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it. Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it.” (Revelation 5:3-4)

12. “But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, ‘Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.’ Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders…He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the One sitting on the throne.” (Revelation 5:5-7)

13. “As he did so, the four living creatures and the twenty-four fell down before the Lamb…They sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to break open its seals. For you were killed, and by your sacrificial death you bought for God people from every tribe, language, nation, and race...’ Again I looked, and I heard angels, thousands and millions of them! They stood around the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders, and sang in a loud voice: ‘The Lamb who was killed is worthy to receive power, wealth, wisdom, and strength, honor, glory, and praise!’ And I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, in the world below, and in the sea---all living beings in the universe---and they were singing: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, be praise and honor, glory and might, forever and ever!’” (Revelation 5:9-13)

14. Amplification of Praise • God on the throne holds a scroll. Surrounded by: • 4 living creatures • 24 elders • No one is worthy to open the scroll • The violently slaughtered Lamb on the throne is worthy • A “new song”: “Again I looked, and I heard angels, thousands and millions of them! They stood around the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders, and sang in a loud voice…And I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, in the world below, and in the sea---all living beings in the universe---and they were singing…”

15. Judgment, “the court began its session” • “what looked like a human being” • “I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him.” • “He was given authority, honor, and royal power, so that the people of all nations, races, and languages would serve him. His authority would last forever, and his kingdom would never end.” (Daniel 7:9-13)

16. Judgment

18. Judgment in John • “Now is the time for this world to be judged; now the ruler of this world will be overthrown. When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me.” (John 12:31-32)

19. NRS John 3:19 "And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."

20. “Unbelief, by shutting the door on God’s love, turns his love into judgment. For this is the meaning of judgment, that man shuts himself off from God’s love. There would be no judgment at all were it not for the event of God’s love. And with the mission of the Son this judgment has become a present reality.” (The Gospel of John: A Commentary, Rudolph Bultmann, p. 154)

21. “Judgment is for him nothing more nor less than the fact that the ‘light’, the Revealer, has come to the world. This saving event is [turned into] judgment, for the reason that men…have shut themselves off from the ‘light’.” (Bultmann, p 157)

22. “Before the encounter with the Revealer the life of all men lies in darkness and sin. Yet this sin is not sin, insofar as God, by the sending of his Son, holds the whole past in suspenso and so makes the encounter with the Revealer the moment of true decision for men.” (John 9:41; 15:24).” (Bultmann, 159)

23. NRS John 5:22 The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.

24. NRS John 9:39 Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind." 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not blind, are we?" 41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.

25. “Once again the coming of the Revealer into this world is described as judgment. And according to this saying the judgment consists in a radical reversal of the human condition: the blind will receive sight and the seeing will become blind.” (Bultmann, 340)

26. NRS John 12:44 Then Jesus cried aloud: "Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. 47 I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, 49 for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak.

27. What is the “word” that will be the judge on “the last day”? • In context: • Believing Jesus’ revelation of the Father

28. “Now that you have known me,’ he said to them, ‘you will know my Father also, and from now on you do know him and you have seen him.’ Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father; that is all we need.’ Jesus answered, ‘For a long time I have been with you all; yet you do not know me, Philip? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. Why, then, do you say, 'Show us the Father'?’” (John 14:7-9)

29. “The Word” in John • “In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) • “So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son.” (John 1:14) • “No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is Himself God, is near to the Father's heart. He has revealed God to us.” (John 1:18)

30. “This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent. On earth I have given you glory by finishing the work you gave me to do…I made your name known to the people you gave me.” (John 17:3-6)

31. NRS John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25

32. “Sin therefore is not primarily immoral behavior; it does not consist in any particular action, but it is unbelief, and it will be defined as such explicitly in 16:8.” (Bultmann, 551).

33. “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God.” (John 14:16-17) • “The Helper will come---the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God and who comes from the Father. I will send him to you from the Father, and he will speak about me.” (John 15:26) • “When, however, the Spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God, he will lead you into all the truth.” (John 16:13)

34. “Revelation becomes judgment by exposing the individual’s response to Jesus…to remain in the darkness means the darkness of misperception of God.” – Sigve Tonstad

35. Examples of Judgment • “But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned once more and he hardened his heart, he and his officials. So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart...” (Exodus 9:34-35; 10:1)

37. Examples of Judgment • “An argument broke out among the disciples as to which one of them should be thought of as the greatest.” (Luke 22:24)

38. “Jesus knew that the Father had given him complete power; he knew that he had come from God and was going to God. So… • …he rose from the table, took off his outer garment, and tied a towel around his waist.” (John 13:3-4)

39. “After Jesus had washed their feet, he put his outer garment back on and returned to his place at the table. ‘Do you understand what I have just done to you?’ he asked. ‘You call me Teacher and Lord, and it is right that you do so, because that is what I am. I, your Lord and Teacher, have just washed your feet. You, then, should wash one another's feet. I have set an example for you, so that you will do just what I have done for you. I am telling you the truth: no slaves are greater than their master, and no messengers are greater than the one who sent them. Now that you know this truth, how happy you will be if you put it into practice!” (John 13:12-17)

40. “As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "Hurry and do what you must!" None of the others at the table understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas was in charge of the money bag, some of the disciples thought that Jesus had told him to go and buy what they needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor.” (John 13:27-29)

41. “But Peter answered, ‘Man, I don't know what you are talking about!’ At once, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. The Lord turned around and looked straight* at Peter, and Peter remembered that the Lord had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows tonight, you will say three times that you do not know me.’ Peter went out and wept bitterly.” (Luke22:60-62) • *to gaze intently at

43. “Judgment is the evaluation of evidence in making a decision” (Wikipedia) • “The character of the judgment is revelatory, not judicial...When revelation can do no more, it is over; it is finished; the Revealer is not a judge but the Revealer, and when he can do no more as Revealer, he must cease and desist.” - Sigve Tonstad

44. “The more often a man feels without acting the less he will ever be able to act, and in the long run, the less he will be able to feel.” • - CS Lewis