Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (Daniel 7:1-18), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• Hope is “believing that something will happen” in a way that affords us confidence, peace, and even joy in whatever present circumstances we face. In Daniel’s vision, the prophetic revelation of the Kingdom is the object of his hope and ours. (“Kingdom” and “dominion” are high frequency words in Daniel.) What is God’s Kingdom like? Why is it so important throughout the Scriptures? Has the Kingdom already come, or is it yet to come, or…? How does one receive the Kingdom or become a citizen of the Kingdom?

• What clues are there in Daniel’s vision that show God actually controls (supervises, limits) the power exercised by the beasts? (There are several: see vv. 2, 4, 5, 6… also Rev. 13:7) What complaints might be raised about God using the wicked to accomplish his purposes? How might it be comforting to someone suffering at the hands of the wicked to consider that such wild forces are not outside God’s wise and good control? How do we see God’s sovereignty over wicked powers in the life of Jesus Christ, in the Gospel?

• [14, 18] Jesus has received the Kingdom on our behalf. Because of God’s grace, we will live and reign with him forever. The very nature of our vicarious redemption is that everything true of Jesus as the New Human is guaranteed to be true of you. Has that sunk in for you? How does that help you face the hard days of this life with hope? Specifically, what do your hard days look like, and how is the sure hope of the Eternal Kingdom more real to you than these things?