We seem to be living through a dark time in the World. Wars, famine, disease and weather events brought about by climate change, stalk the world. It would be dark indeed were it not for the fact that we have hope because we were warned of this in advance, as signs of the end times. We have the hope of looking to the return of the Lord Jesus.

I was led today to look at the term, “Son of Man”. It is a title that Jesus used to describe himself and one that stunned and angered the Jewish Sanhedrin into seeking his death on the cross. Most of us as Gentiles would think that him describing himself as the Son of God would do so, but it did not - it was the term ‘Son of Man’. It turns out that to Jews, all descended from Adam, or at least Abraham, can term themselves as sons of God. But the term “Son of Man” is only in one place in the Old Testament. Which led me to Daniel 7, and it took me going to the Complete Jewish Bible to really understand the full implications. (See Morning Tea/Terce.)

Jesus was declaring to them that he was the Messiah by using that Title for himself, and reading through Daniel 7 led me to great pondering. Experts have made interpretations of Daniel’s dream - I can’t help looking at this and seeing a different scenario to most of them. Daniel’s vision is of the end times just before the return of the Lord Jesus, as such I believe the Lion with wings is the British Empire, the Eagles wings torn from the lion, is the USA and the Bear is Russia.

Four countries today have leopards as symbols, Rwanda, Somalia (which is a muslim majority country) and the snow leopard is the national animal of Pakistan and Afghanistan, both Islamic ruled countries. I think the leopard and it’s 4 bird wings and 4 heads are possibly the Islamic nations. It is given the power to rule - the Ottoman, and Persian Empires, which were Islamic Empires were hugely powerful in the past once even ruling the Holy Land and their remnants still exist. Of all these Daniel 7 says, their rulership was will be taken away (their Royal Families are now figureheads) but that their lives would be extended and their remnants remain in existence as nations.

The 4th Beast with it’s great iron teeth I think the experts got right is the Roman Empire - John has almost the same vision in Revelations 13 and tells us the 4th beast is a dragon - which was the symbol of the Roman Army. Roman soldiers inscribed dragons on the standards they carried into battle, and their cavalry carried wind machines that scared the heck out of people making the supposed sounds of a dragon. Revelations talks of it having 10 horns with crowns. While the Roman Empire no longer exists in its ancient form -it was destroyed - there are 10 monarchies in Europe that grew out of ashes of the Roman Empire, you don’t count the UK which is separate and became a separate Empire. The small horn may have been Germany - the Nazi 3rd Reich - marking Hitler the Anti-Christ and meaning we are in the period of nations times being extended for 'a time and a season.'

Israel is back as a nation. Israel and the children of God should take heart and comfort today when reading Psalm 27, both for the dark times we are in and the future. All we really need to do is make sure we are ready for his return. Are you ready for His return?